About Us
Mission Statement
The mission of the Anti-Trafficking Advocacy Coalition (ATAC) at NYU Law is three-fold:
- to educate the Law School and the greater student body about human trafficking, including its manifestations, prevalence, and consequences;
- to participate in the fight against human trafficking; and
- to serve as a resource to students interested in fighting human trafficking.
To fulfill its mission statement, ATAC hosts various outreach and educational events throughout the year and partners with local or national organizations to help with research, advocacy projects, and services to victims, among other things.
What is "human trafficking?"
Human trafficking occurs when one person obtains or holds another person in forced service.
Human trafficking is modern-day slaveryHuman trafficking takes infinite forms. Fruit-picking, peddling trinkets, cooking, babysitting, sexual acts, and even drug running have all been used to enslave other human beings. An estimated 50,000 women and children are trafficked into the United States every year, and New York City is a major entry, transit, and destination point for both foreign and domestic trafficking victims. The estimates of enslaved persons worldwide are in the tens of millions.
Trafficking a human being, or assisting another person in doing so, is a federal crime under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act and an international crime under the Palermo Protocol.