As one who is often disillusioned by the actions of all three branches of our government, I’m happy to report that recent activities reinforced that our government is actually doing something positive in regard to eradicating human slavery.
The President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons met in Washington on October 11, 2018 and was chaired by Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo. Awards were presented to Ms. Minal Patel Davis and Mr. William C. Woolf III. for their significant efforts to combat human trafficking. The task force also announced the doubling of their prior $25-million grant to the Global Fund and the University of Georgia Research Foundation.
New programs were announced to create in-person domestic worker registration in two cities and a new video that will be played at foreign embassies when people are applying for visas to come to this country.
This has been one of Ivanka Trump’s personal causes since arriving in Washington, and you can hear her comments below.
Click above to hear Ivanka’s comments
Here are some additional highlights revealed about the program:
TAKING ACTION AT HOME AND ABROAD: The Trump Administration is taking the fight to human trafficking on all fronts, carrying out robust domestic and international efforts.
- In April 2018, President Trump signed historic legislation into law to combat online sex trafficking, holding perpetrators accountable and ensuring justice for survivors.
- Last year, President Trump issued an Executive Order which directed his Administration to crack down on transnational criminal organizations that use human trafficking.
- Domestically, Federal agencies are ensuring full enforcement of our laws so that those who seek to exploit our people and break our laws face justice. Last year:
- The Department of Justice secured convictions against nearly 500 defendants in human trafficking and the Federal Bureau of Investigation dismantled 42 criminal enterprises engaged in child sex trafficking.
- The Department of Homeland Security initiated over 800 human trafficking cases, resulting in 1,500 arrests, 530 convictions, and over 500 victims identified.
- The Department of Justice anti-trafficking grantees reported assisting more than 8,000 survivors between July 2016 and June 2017, greatly exceeding the past record.
- The Department of Health and Human Services modernized the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
- The United States is also taking the lead to end this crime internationally, as the largest donor of the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery.
- The Trump Administration is pushing back against authoritarian regimes to eliminate forced labor, sex trafficking, and the exploitation of children.
- Human trafficking is very common under regimes lacking basic civil protections.
- The Administration is limiting the number of Tier 3 countries in the TIP Report that will receive national security waivers under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.
To read the full report on the government’s efforts to combat trafficking, click here. Report date 12/1/17.
