human trafficking

noun

Updated on: 18 Apr 2018

Definition of human trafficking

: organized criminal activity in which human beings are treated as possessions to be controlled and exploited (as by being forced into prostitution or involuntary labor)

Recent Examples of human trafficking from the Web

In news releases on Thursday, Attorneys General Xavier Becerra of California and Ken Paxton of Texas described them as major victories in combating human trafficking.

— maggie astor, New York Times, "Backpage Chief Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy and Money Laundering," 12 Apr. 2018
One is using her Harvard University master’s in business administration to market organic baby food for a startup company and the other holds a master’s from UCLA and works for a group that fights human trafficking.

— lauren ritchie, OrlandoSentinel.com, "Lake County fortunate that state Rep. Larry Metz is joining bench as a circuit judge," 6 Apr. 2018
Proceeds from the book go to The A21 Campaign, a nonprofit that fights human trafficking, and Tracy's Kids, an art therapy program for children with cancer.

— kathleen luppi, latimes.com, "Second lady Karen Pence and daughter Charlotte promote children’s book at Nixon Library," 29 Mar. 2018
State lawmakers are considering measures to confront human trafficking, and pondering whether prostitutes are criminals or victims.

— william l. spence, idahostatesman, "Treasure Valley lawmakers poured their hearts into these bills — and lost | Idaho Statesman," 28 Mar. 2018
Some of these include SWAT, K-9, crime stoppers, emergency communications (CECOMS), human trafficking, opioid epidemic, tactical response, active shooter, and more.

— shirley macfarland, cleveland.com, "Christian Brothers revs its engines for franchise expansion in Cuyahoga County: Talk of the Towns," 23 Mar. 2018
With the recent rise in gangs and human trafficking, there has never been a time more important to keep students engaged and in school until parents/ guardians come home from work.

— miguel garcia, jr., jodi grant and terri king, star-telegram, "The president renews push to eliminate afterschool funding | Fort Worth Star-Telegram," 6 Mar. 2018
He was charged with pandering, false imprisonment and human trafficking, all felonies.

— diana lambert and darrell smith, sacbee, "Their soccer coach was arrested for sex trafficking. Now students are raising money for victims | The Sacramento Bee," 1 Mar. 2018
The grants will pay for projects designed to help battle gang violence, human trafficking, migrant smuggling, opioid trafficking and child pornography.

— sam wood, Philly.com, "U.S. seeks Artificial Intelligence researchers to fight child porn and opioid trafficking," 27 Feb. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'human trafficking.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of human trafficking

1904

Law Dictionary

human trafficking

noun

legal Definition of human trafficking

: the business of inducing a person to perform labor or engage in prostitution through force, fraud, or coercion — see also labor trafficking, sex trafficking