Christopher H. Smith

About the author: Christopher H. Smith, a Republican representative from New Jersey, is vice chairman of the House Committee on International Relations.

Human trafficking is a global atrocity that victimizes millions of people each year. To combat the problem of human trafficking and slavery, the United States passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Among other provisions, the act requires the state department to rank countries according to their efforts to reduce slavery and trafficking in humans. Although the act is a useful tool in the fight against slavery, more must be done to prevent future occurrences of such gross human rights violations. The United States must lead the way toward a world free of human trafficking and slavery.

The United States abolished legalized slavery nearly 140 years ago, but...