Trafficking in Persons (TIP)

The recruitment, transport, or holding of people through force, fraud, or coercion for exploitation, defined in the 2000 Palermo Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons. In the maritime sector it bears on crewing abuses and forced labor in fishing fleets; the US State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report ranks countries in Tiers 1 to 3 and links fishing-vessel forced labor to seafood supply chains. It is legally distinct from migrant smuggling, which requires no exploitation.