The TVPA, as amended in 2003, established the Senior Policy Operating Group (SPOG), which consists of senior officials designated as representatives of the PITF agencies. The SPOG brings together federal agencies that address all aspects of human trafficking. Five standing committees meet regularly to advance substantive areas of the SPOG’s work: Research & Data, Grantmaking, Public Awareness & Outreach, Victims Services, and Procurement & Supply Chains. In addition, the SPOG has created a few ad hoc working groups. Unlike the committees, these working groups are time-limited and formed to accomplish specific goals. As of 2022, the SPOG has three active ad hoc working groups focused on Demand Reduction, the Rights and Protections of Temporary Workers, and Screening Forms and Protocols.
In September 2017, the SPOG also approved the establishment of an Ad Hoc Working Group on American Indians and Alaska Natives to increase coordination among agencies responding to human trafficking in Indian Country and affecting American Indian and Alaska Native communities. In October 2018, the Working Group created for policymakers and tribes a Resource Guide on U.S. Government Entities Combating Human Trafficking in American Indian and Alaska Native Communities [709 KB], which outlines federal anti-trafficking efforts focused on American Indian and Alaska Native communities to bolster stakeholders’ understanding of the U.S. Government’s response and enhance the coordination of agency programming and tribal engagement.
In response to the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, the SPOG Public Awareness & Outreach Committee created Guidance for Introductory-Level Human Trafficking Awareness Training [753 KB]for federal law enforcement and service provider agencies as well as non-governmental stakeholders in January 2023. This training guide serves as a resource for professional entities when developing or updating human trafficking training for their workforces.
The SPOG Grantmaking Committee developed Promising Practices: A Review of U.S. Government-Funded Anti-Trafficking in Persons Programs to identify promising practices along the “3P” – prevention, protection, and prosecution – model that may include survivor-informed, trauma-informed, and culturally competent approaches. In addition, a fourth “P” – for partnership – is highlighted as a complementary means to achieve progress across the 3Ps. The Promising Practices document is a resource for federal grantmaking agencies, practitioners, and other key stakeholders to identify areas and approaches for combating trafficking that are worth testing in their own countries and communities.