In this guest blog, Ummra Hang, on behalf of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, shares insights from their latest report and reflects on the last decade of their work.
Editor’s Note: In this guest blog, Ummra Hang, on behalf of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, reflects on the Council’s ten year milestone and shares insights from their most recent report. Humanity United is committed to sharing our platform with those with expertise and/or lived experience in our areas of work; however, the views and opinions expressed are those of the author.
Last year marked ten years since the United States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking (Council) was established, and we are honored to share the insights and priorities that have shaped our 2025 Annual Report. This milestone offers us a chance not only to celebrate progress, but to address the persistent challenges that continue to enable human trafficking and hinder recovery for survivors across our nation.
Who We Are
The Council comprises 13 survivor leaders who bring both lived experience and ongoing professional expertise to advise the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (PITF). Since the Council’s inception in 2015, it has published nine comprehensive reports containing over 400 recommendations aimed at strengthening federal anti-trafficking policies and programs.
Our current members represent diverse backgrounds, individuals spanning 18 states that include labor and sex trafficking survivors, U.S. citizens and immigrants, and collectively holding 28 degrees, professional licenses, and certificates. Together, we have contributed 131 years of combined anti-trafficking experience to this critical work.
This year’s report centers on two fundamental questions: What are the root causes that enable human trafficking? And how can we build continuums of care that truly support survivors in reclaiming their lives?
Understanding Root Causes
We define root causes as the multilayered underlying factors, systemic barriers, and cultural norms that create opportunities for human trafficking. These include racism and discrimination, poverty and economic disparity, restrictive immigration systems, and the oppression of historically excluded communities, including women, girls, and 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals. Importantly, root causes aren’t static traits to look for in people. They’re lenses through which we must examine the gaps and inequities in our communities that traffickers exploit.
Over the past decade, our understanding has evolved. Early Council reports focused on raising awareness and improving victim identification. Today, we recognize that meaningful change requires addressing systemic inequalities, challenging harmful societal norms, and ensuring that economic opportunity, education, and healthcare are accessible to all.
The Continuum of Care
Equally critical is reimagining how we support survivors. A continuum of care isn’t simply about crisis intervention, it’s about providing comprehensive, survivor-defined pathways to healing and empowerment throughout every stage of recovery.
Our 2025 report examines six key areas: healthcare, disability support, education, economic empowerment, digital communication and tools, and prevention. Each represents both an opportunity and a responsibility. For example, economic empowerment must go beyond job placement to include financial literacy, credit repair, educational scholarships, professional development, and comprehensive wraparound services. Healthcare must be trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and accessible to all survivors regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, immigration status, or disability.
Why Survivor Leadership Matters
Throughout this report, we emphasize a fundamental truth: survivors must not only be heard, we must be elevated as leaders who shape strategy and challenge systems. Our expertise comes from navigating these systems ourselves, and from our ongoing work supporting other survivors in communities nationwide.
This means fair compensation for our contributions, recognition of our professional qualifications and policy expertise, and comprehensive support that acknowledges the emotional labor involved in this work. Federal programs must move beyond tokenization to genuine partnership with survivors and survivor-led organizations.
A Call to Collaboration
As we continue in our efforts, we’re calling on all stakeholders, federal agencies, state and local governments, service providers, law enforcement, and communities, to join us in a coordinated, survivor-centered response to human trafficking.
This means:
Moving Forward Together
The past ten years have taught us that awareness alone is insufficient. We must tackle the conditions that allow human trafficking to thrive while simultaneously building robust, accessible support systems for survivors.
Every recommendation in our report is grounded in lived expertise and refined through careful collaboration with federal partners. Implementation requires sustained commitment, adequate funding, accountability, and ongoing dialogue between agencies and survivor communities.
As we reflect on this milestone, we remain committed to ensuring that no one else endures what we have experienced and survived, and that those who do, have the comprehensive support they need to experience wellness and thrive. Human trafficking is a violation of human dignity and rights. Together, through trauma-informed care, survivor-centered services, evidence-based policy, and unwavering collaboration, we can create a future rooted in justice, survivor leadership, and the belief that every person deserves safety, dignity, and opportunity.
We invite you to read the full 2025 Annual Report and join us on March 12, 2026 at 2pm EST at our virtual release of our 2025 report. Register here while space is available.