About Us

The Combating Trafficking in Persons Program Management Office (CTIP PMO) is the lead office responsible for coordinating the Department of Defense (DoD) efforts to prevent human trafficking, prosecute traffickers, and assist in the protection of victims of human trafficking. The DoD CTIP PMO falls within the purview of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD (P&R)) in the Defense Human Resources Activity (DHRA). DHRA is responsible for CTIP policy development, planning, resource management, and program evaluation for all of DoD.

CTIP PMO is responsible for overseeing, developing, and providing the tools necessary for implementing the National Security Presidential Directive (NSPD) 22 within DoD. The NSPD 22 declares the United States Government's “zero tolerance” policy for trafficking in persons (TIP). The Directive states, “Departments and agencies shall ensure that all of the appropriate offices within their jurisdiction are fully trained to carry out their responsibilities to combat trafficking."

Linda K. Dixon was a Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army, retiring after twenty years in 2007. Ms. Dixon's last duty assignment within the military was with the Department of Defense Office of the Inspector General (IG) as a Senior Program Analyst within the Inspections and Evaluations Directorate. During her tenure as an IG, Ms. Dixon assisted DoD with initiatives to combat TIP. She led an IG team on a worldwide evaluation of the DoD efforts to combat trafficking in persons. The team made several recommendations in the areas of coordination, training, policy, and metrics. She was also lead investigator for a case of human trafficking involved the DoD in South Korea. In 2007, she joined DHRA as Director for the newly created Department of Defense Combating Trafficking in Persons Program Management Office (CTIP PMO). As the CTIP Director, Ms. Dixon is responsible for implementing the Department of Defense's program to combat trafficking in persons (CTIP) through management and oversight. She leads the development of CTIP policy and training modules that are based on realistic, military-related trafficking in persons (TIP) scenarios, and oversees Department-wide coordination of efforts to combat all forms of human trafficking.

Brenda J. Zurita is an Intergovernmental Affairs Specialist for the Department of Defense Combating Trafficking in Persons Program Management Office. She is a subject matter expert on human trafficking and assists the CTIP Program Director on policy development projects, including updating the CTIP Department of Defense Instruction and training products. Prior to entering civil service in 2017, Ms. Zurita worked as a researcher and writer with non-profits, specializing in analyzing anti-human trafficking policies and laws. At Concerned Women for America, she worked with a politically diverse coalition to pass the Trafficking Victims Protection and Reauthorization Act of 2008 and authored a provision in the bill. Her articles and opinion pieces were published in newspapers, magazines and online. Her work with Global Centurion Foundation included collaborating on the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ SOAR human trafficking training for health professionals and the U.S. Department of Defense’s human trafficking training.

Marcela F. Jimenez has served as a Program Analyst at the Department of Defense Combating Trafficking in Persons Office (CTIP) since 2021. In this role, she supports strategic initiatives to prevent human trafficking across the DoD. Ms. Jimenez leads the office’s strategic communications and public outreach, with a strong focus on expanding the office presence through social media to increase awareness. Her work also includes program development, policy support, and interagency coordination to advance the Department’s CTIP mission.

Laura J. Lederer is the former Senior Advisor on Trafficking in Persons at the U.S. Department of State. She helped stand up the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and then became Senior Advisor on Human Trafficking to the Under Secretary for Global Affairs from 2002 – 2009. She has served as a Subject Matter Expert with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in their creation of SOAR (Stop, Observe, Ask, Respond) training on Health and Human Trafficking, and created training and technical assistance materials on Runaway and Homeless Youth and human trafficking for HHS Family Youth Services Bureau. She has served as Subject Matter Expert for the U.S. Department of Defense CTIP PMO since 2013 and is responsible for content development of the general awareness and General Awareness refresher training as well as other specialized trainings, including the Student Guide to Preventing Human Trafficking, a Military Chaplains Training on Trafficking, and a Defense Health Agency training on Health and Human Trafficking. She assisted in the development of a data collection instrument that allows DoD to document sex and labor trafficking cases in the DoD. Most recently she worked with the CTIP PMO Team to develop Seal and Repel: Border Security to Prevent Human Trafficking, in response to Executive Order 14165.

Vision

The Department of Defense (DoD) sustains an effective program to combat trafficking in persons in both its domestic and international environments.

Mission

To institutionalize Department of Defense Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) policy and programs and set conditions for effective prevention, protection, prosecution, and partnering activities in concert with, and supportive of, national efforts.

Guiding Principles

Reduce the risk and incidence of trafficking in persons within DoD's garrison and deployed operations
Identify victims and help alleviate suffering
Improve monitoring and reporting
Identify criminal activity
Educate stakeholders on DoD's stance on trafficking in persons
Train all DoD personnel on combating trafficking in persons
Inform contractors of DoD CTIP policies and best practices

Develop Policy

The CTIP PMO is responsible for the development and updating of the Department of Defense Instruction 2200.01, “Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP).” The DoDI establishes policy, assigns responsibilities, and prescribes training requirements for CTIP. The DoDI was first published in 2007 and has been updated in 2010, 2015, and 2019.

Develop Training

The CTIP DoDI requires Component Heads to ensure new personnel (military and civilian) take CTIP training within their initial year of entry into DoD. The CTIP PMO provides terminal learning objectives (TLOs), guidelines, and procedures for trafficking awareness training for all DoD components. The CTIP PMO developed several different training programs addressing the TLOs, including General Awareness, General Awareness Refresher, Acquisitions Professionals, Investigative Professionals (law enforcement, criminal and DoDIG investigators), Department of Defense Education Activity school personnel, Judge Advocates and Legal Counsel, Chaplains, Healthcare Personnel, and Military Recruiters. The CTIP trainings provide an overview of TIP including, signs of trafficking, key policies and procedures, and reporting procedures.

Develop Awareness Materials

The CTIP PMO runs a quarterly Task Force meeting distributing information and coordinating efforts through more than 50 CTIP points of contact within the Defense Components, which consist of the Services, Combatant Commands and the Defense Agencies. The CTIP PMO develops awareness materials for distribution to DoD components. CTIP PMO developed posters and wallet-sized cards that outline worker's rights and provides information on where to report suspected cases of TIP. These cards are available in 10 languages and are continually shipped overseas and distributed to workers. Additionally, CTIP PMO created and distributed posters that describe how to recognize and report trafficking. These posters are required to be displayed in an area that is readily visible to employees. In locations where multiple languages are spoken, awareness materials were translated into the language(s) spoken by a significant portion of the employees. There are posters in 20 languages available on the CTIP website.

Coordinate Interagency and Intra-agency Efforts

The CTIP PMO is responsible for preparation of materials for and participation in all U.S. government interagency collaborations. Collaborations include: the cabinet level President's Interagency Task Force on Trafficking, the Senior Policy Operating Group on Trafficking in Persons, White House efforts to combat trafficking such as the National Action Plan, the Office of Management and Budget's Office of Federal Procurement Policy Interagency Task Force Preventing Trafficking in Government Contracting, and other key interagency efforts. The CTIP PMO also leads internal efforts on human trafficking for the Department of Defense, including the formation and implementation of a quarterly CTIP Task Force on Combating Trafficking in Persons, with more than 50 points of contact in DoD military and civilian components, divisions and offices; Self-Assessment process of all DoD agencies and components to ascertain progress on combating trafficking in persons, coordination of data collection on sex and labor trafficking cases in the DoD; and leadership or participation in key intra-agency efforts such as the Forced Labor Goods Working Group.

DoD's CTIP accomplishments include:

DoD was the first Federal agency to require training for its personnel, beginning with military members in 2005.
DoD was the first Federal agency to require TIP Clauses in contracts, , implemented through the Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) in 2006.
In 2007, the Combating Trafficking in Persons Department of Defense Instruction (2200.01) was published. It has been updated in 2010, 2015, and 2019.
In 2010, the CTIP PMO launched its website and expanded mandatory training to DoD civilians.
DoD was the first Federal agency to produce “Worker's Rights” reference cards in 2011, in multiple languages.
DoD was the first Federal agency to establish a multi-disciplinary task force on CTIP in 2012.
DoD was the first Federal agency to publish a Strategic Plan for Combating Trafficking in Persons in 2013.
In 2014, the CTIP PMO established a CTIP Program Manager in Afghanistan and developed specialized trainings for Acquisition Professionals and for Investigative Professionals.
In 2016, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) received the 2016 Presidential Award for Extraordinary Efforts to Combat Trafficking in Persons for the development of an anti-trafficking technology tool called “Memex.”
In the 2017 Status of Forces Survey, 94 percent of the active duty members surveyed understood the U.S. Government's “zero tolerance” policy on trafficking in persons.
In 2018, the CTIP PMO and the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) released the CTIP Training for DoDEA school personnel.
In 2019, the CTIP PMO and Joint Knowledge Online developed a public service announcement about the nexus between TIP and gross violations of human rights.
In 2020, the CTIP PMO updated all of its CTIP trainings and included sections on gross violations of human rights and women, peace, and security efforts in the CTIP General Awareness, CTIP Investigative Professionals, CTIP Acquisition Personnel trainings and the CTIP Leadership Resource.
In 2021, the CTIP PMO and Joint Knowledge Online released the CTIP Student Guide to Preventing Human Trafficking for military-connected high school students with an accompanying Parent Resource Guide. The DoD is the first Federal agency to develop a student and parent guide.
In 2021, the CTIP PMO added a feature to its website, Survivor Voices, which features survivors relating their experiences being trafficked into commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, and child soldiering.
In 2022, the CTIP PMO released the CTIP Acquisition Resource Kit, a grab and go collection of job aids covering the five phases of contracting for DoD’s acquisition personnel.
The CTIP website was redesigned to make it easier to find resources and information in 2022.
In 2023, the CTIP PMO updated the General Awareness, Investigative Professionals, Acquisition Personnel, and DoD Education Activity Staff trainings.
In 2023, the CTIP PMO released the specialized CTIP DoD Chaplains Training and companion Toolkit, addressing issues relevant to DoD chaplains such as moral injury, meaning making, and spiritual healing.
In 2023, the CTIP PMO released the specialized CTIP DoD Healthcare Personnel Training and accompanying Toolkit addressing relevant issues such as new human trafficking ICD Codes, mandatory reporting, and electronic medical records for the DoD’s 100,000+ healthcare personnel. Continuing Education Credit for this course obtained in 2024.
In 2024, the CTIP PMO released the mandatory CTIP General Awareness Refresher Course in response to P.L. 117-348.
In 2024, the CTIP PMO released the CTIP DoD Judge Advocates/Legal Counsel Course and companion Toolkit to outline the roles and responsibilities of Judge Advocates in preventing trafficking, prosecuting traffickers, and protecting victims.

Documents

DoDI 2200.01

Strategic Plan for CTIP 2014 - 2018

DoD CTIP Task Force Charter

DoD CTIP Case Process Flowchart

DoD Component Self-Assessment

DoD CTIP Onboarding Packet

CTIP Materials

Posters

Worker's Right

CTIP Quarterly Newsletters

CTIP Information and Fact Sheets

STOP Human Trafficking Trifold

CTIP PMO OUSD (P&R) DHRA

4800 Mark Center Drive

Suite 05E22

Alexandria, VA 22350

Phone: (571) 372-1963

Email: dodctip@mail.mil

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