US President Bill Clinton signed the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Act into law on 28 October, establishing the first federal law in the country targeted specifically at this problem.

The new legislation, which before being sent to Clinton to sign was approved by both houses of Congress, sets harsh penalties for those who trade in human beings and allocated US$95 million for implementing measures to protect the victims and penalise the criminals.

Setting punishment for human trafficking at up to life in prison, and giving victims access to shelter, support, counselling and medical care as well as allowing them to stay in the country in order to testify against traffickers, Clinton declared the new law an important measure to "strengthen our fight against the insidious global practice of trafficking in human beings".

He stressed the importance of this measure as "every year, a million or more women, children and men are forced or tricked into lives of utter misery, into prostitution, sweatshop work, domestic or farm labour or debt bondage. This is slavery, plain and simple….each year as many as 50,000 people are brought to the United States for this cruel purpose," he said.