By Lydia VanDerKamp, Contributing Writer
President Donald J. Trump, along with Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump, have been working together during his administration to enact laws and put safeguards in place to assist those who are victims of human trafficking, according to a FOX Business report. In “What is the U.S. Government doing to Combat Human Trafficking?,” a blog post by WatchBlog, a website ran by the U.S. Government Accountability Office, the federal government’s priorities are to prevent, protect and prosecute. Prevention strategies are implemented to reduce victims of human trafficking, while efforts are put in place to protect those who are already victims and prosecute those who are breaking the law by selling humans into slavery.
Ivanka Trump recently announced there will be a $42 million budget increase to aid victims of human trafficking in 2021. In a video clip posted by The White House on Twitter, she stated that sex trafficking is a billion-dollar industry with close to 25 million victims. She also said in the announcement, “We are resolved, and we are relentless in the fight to hold perpetrators accountable and restore dignity for victims. This administration has fought and will continue to fight this crime and ensure that survivors can access the services they need.”
During a 2018 meeting with the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, President Trump shared similar sentiments: “This is an urgent humanitarian issue. My administration is committed to leveraging every resource we have to confront this threat, to support the victims and survivors, and to hold traffickers accountable for their heinous crimes.
President Trump has signed four bills to end human trafficking, as listed on the 2019 fact sheet published by The White House:
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 1862)
Defines the standards of criteria of human trafficking in order to end it.
Abolish Human Trafficking Act (S. 1311)
Strengthens programs to aid survivors of human trafficking and aids to end human trafficking.
Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 2200)
$430 million to aid efforts to end sex and labor trafficking.
Trafficking Victims Protections Act (S. 1312)
Increased efforts to bring human traffickers to justice.
Furthermore, in the same fact sheet, the Trump administration has published its investigative findings on human trafficking in the U.S.:
In the United States, more than 8,500 human trafficking cases were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline last year alone.
In fiscal year 2018, Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Homeland Security Investigations made 1,588 human trafficking arrests while identifying and assisting 308 victims of the same heinous crime. They also made over 4,000 criminal arrests for human smuggling violations.
1,543 of the 1,588 arrests Homeland Security made in fiscal year 2018 for human trafficking were for sex trafficking violations.
These findings call for more federal funds dedicated to ending human trafficking. Trump signed over $35 million in grants from the Department of Justice to provide safe houses for victims of human trafficking. The money can also be used to aid victims to get occupational training and counseling, as reported by The Washington Post. According to an executive order issued Jan. 31, 2020, the following directives were given:
Enlist a dedicated employee to organize the fight against human trafficking (Sec. 2a).
Secretary of State responsible for monitoring and aiding with resources used to combat victims of human trafficking (Sec. 2b).
Attorney General, Secretary of Labor, and Secretary of Homeland security to collaborate to prosecute traffickers and work through barriers of legalities that are not beneficial for prosecution (Sec. 3a), and shall improve law enforcement capabilities of finding and prosecuting human traffickers online and work to remove barriers to this process (Sec. 3b), and provide prevention education against sexual exploitation of children (Sec. 3b).
Attorney General, Secretary of Health and Human Services, and Secretary of Homeland Security (and other elected officials as needed) to collaborate to fund locating missing children, including runaways from foster care and in state custody – assistance to include technological advances (Sec. 4a).
Secretary of Health and Human Services and Secretary of Housing and Urban development shall collaborate to aid in housing for victims of human trafficking (Sec. 4b).
The Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security and Secretary of Education – partner with State, local, and tribal law enforcement to produce child exploitation prevention programs (Sec. 5).
All in all, the efforts of the U.S. government are constantly evolving and continuously improving to put an end to modern-day slavery and the trafficking of innocent children. To do your part to help abolish child sex trafficking, volunteer to become a Child Ambassador for One Bread Foundation. This role involves sharing our newsletter, blogs and social media posts with your network and keeping an eye out for resources and collaboration opportunities in your own community. If you’re interested in becoming a Child Ambassador or want to learn more, please contact David P. Bernal at info@one-bread.org.