Homeland Security (DHS), and Labor (DOL), which successfully streamlined trafficking investigations and prosecutions. An internal assessment of ACTeam Districts found a significant increase in anti-trafficking convictions involving forced labor, international sex trafficking, and sex trafficking of adults by force, fraud, and coercion. DOJ funded 14 Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) anti-trafficking task forces, comprising federal, state, and local law enforcement; labor officials; and victim service providers. During the reporting period, DOL strengthened its mechanism for detecting and referring potential trafficking cases to law enforcement partners, as appropriate.
The federal government reports its law enforcement data by fiscal year (October 1 through September 30). In FY 2014, DHS’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported opening 987 investigations possibly involving human trafficking, a decrease from 1,025 in FY 2013.The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) formally opened 835 human trafficking investigations, an increase from 734 in FY 2013, and DOJ’s ECM taskforces initiated 1,083 investigations.The Department of State (DOS) reported opening 154 human trafficking-related cases worldwide during FY 2014, a decrease from 159 in FY 2013. The Department of Defense (DoD) reported investigating 14 human trafficking-related cases involving military personnel, an increase from nine in FY 2013.
DOJ prosecutes human trafficking cases through the 94 U.S. Attorney’s Offices (USAOs) and the two specialized units that serve as DOJ’s nationwide subject-matter experts.Taken together, DOJ initiated a total of 208 federal human trafficking prosecutions in FY 2014, charging 335 defendants. Of these prosecutions, 190 involved predominantly sex trafficking and 18 involved predominantly labor trafficking, although some involved both. These figures represent an increase from FY 2013, during which DOJ brought 161 prosecutions charging 253 defendants.
During FY 2014, DOJ secured convictions against 184 traffickers, compared with 174 convictions obtained in FY 2013. Of these, 157 involved predominantly sex trafficking and 27 involved predominantly labor trafficking, although several involved both. These totals do not include child sex trafficking cases brought under non-trafficking statutes. Penalties imposed on convicted traffickers ranged from five years to life imprisonment. For the first time, the government used an extraterritorial jurisdiction provision of the law to convict a trafficker for sex trafficking that took place in another country.
NGOs called for more specific, easily accessible data on federal, state, and local trafficking prosecutions, and for increased prioritization of forced labor prosecutions. A federally-funded report found that in some instances, law enforcement agencies had difficulty identifying labor trafficking and distinguishing it from other forms of labor exploitation and workplace violations, and that victims’ willingness to self-identify and cooperate with law enforcement varied depending on the levels of trust that law enforcement agents established with potential victims and victim service providers.
NGOs voiced concern that federal prosecutors did not vigorously seek mandatory restitution for victims of trafficking. An NGO report released during the reporting period found that, between 2009 and 2012, federal courts ordered restitution in only 36 percent of cases and forced labor victims were substantially more likely to obtain restitution than sex trafficking victims, receiving nearly five times more in restitution on average.The report noted

that, while many prosecutors seek restitution, there is confusion about when and on what grounds restitution is owed to sex trafficking victims, and efforts to obtain restitution may falter in cases in which victims performed services that are illegal.
The government demonstrated results in addressing official complicity at both the federal and state levels. The government reported at least four new instances of complicity of government officials in human trafficking. An Army service member was arrested on charges of sex trafficking involving a 17-year-old. A Navy service member was arrested in Hawaii on charges of sex trafficking a 16-year-old. Another Navy service member was investigated on allegations of child sex trafficking and was sentenced in Virginia to five years’ imprisonment on lesser charges. A third Navy service member was sentenced for several crimes, including pandering, to 10 years’ imprisonment in California for using a child for commercial sex acts involving six other active-duty Navy members.The government made progress on cases mentioned in the previous year’s TIP Report. A police officer in the District of Columbia was sentenced to seven years’ imprisonment for exploiting girls in prostitution-related activities, and in Texas, a juvenile probation officer was convicted of sex trafficking.These four convictions of officials represent an increase from two the previous year.
In addition to federal laws, state laws form the basis of the majority of criminal actions, making adoption of state anti-trafficking laws key to institutionalizing concepts of compelled service for rank-and-file local police officers. A 2014 NGO report found improvement in states’ anti-trafficking laws in recent years, but noted that funding to ensure the implementation of these new laws was a challenge.The report also found there is still a need for state laws that comprehensively assist and protect victims of human trafficking. Another report noted that, even in states with labor trafficking laws, loopholes in federal immigration law and weak state labor codes may hinder prosecution of labor traffickers. In some cases, trafficking victims, including those under the age of 18 years, continued to be treated as criminal offenders.
The federal government continued to collect state and local data on human trafficking investigations during the reporting period through FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program; however, not all state and local jurisdictions participated, and at the time of reporting, data were not available.There is no formal mechanism to track prosecutions at the state and local levels.
The U.S. government continued efforts to train officials and enhanced its efforts to share information. For example, DOJ developed an online e-guide to provide guidance for effective taskforce operations and engaged in extensive capacity building for law enforcement, military personnel, social service providers, labor inspectors, pro bono attorneys, and others. DHS updated a web-based training course and produced training videos for law enforcement. Federal agencies continued a pilot project in 10 countries to increase the flow of information about human trafficking overseas with a nexus to the United States. FBI and ICE trained local partners on indicators of sex trafficking and led enforcement operations designed to enhance capabilities during and after the 2015 Super Bowl.

PROTECTION
The federal government increased its efforts to protect trafficking victims; however, the number of victims issued trafficking-specific