President Trump Declares January the Month He Will End Human Trafficking

Proclaims Jan to be 'National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month'

By: Jay Greenberg

 on 2nd January 2019

president trump has made the abolition of human trafficking a priority
President Trump has made the abolition of human trafficking a priority

US President Donald Trump has vowed to end human trafficking by proclaiming January to be a month dedicated to ending the horrific practice.

In one of his final actions of 2018, the president declared January to be  “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month” during a lengthy proclamation issued on December 31st.

Trump said that merely denouncing such horrific assaults is not enough and, instead, he pledged that his administration will “actively work to prevent and end this barbaric exploitation of innocent victims.”

“Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery,” President Trump states in his proclamation.

“We are morally obligated to confront and defeat the abhorrent practice of human trafficking, and I am keeping my pledge to take aggressive action.”

Mr. Trump added that securing the border will play a key role in the fight to abolish human slavery and child trafficking.

The president asserted that he will "not rest" until those involved in these barbarous criminal activities are brought to justice.

president trump vowed to end human slavery and child trafficking
President Trump vowed to end human slavery and child trafficking

According to the Epoch Times, such crimes are often described as an everyday problem hidden in plain sight. 

Data from a landmark Global Slavery Index   report  in July last year found that 1 in 800 people in the United States lives in modern slavery.

The phrase is a broad term used to describe victims of forced labor, sexual exploitation or servitude, and forced marriages, among other abuses.

Trump has made combating human trafficking a focal point of his administration over the past two years.

In February 2018, he signed an executive order to dismantle transnational criminal organizations that traffic and exploit people.

In January 2018, Trump signed a  similar declaration  for the month.

In the Dec. 31 proclamation, he linked stopping human trafficking to building a border wall:  “I have made it a top priority to fully secure our Nation's Southwest border, including through the continued construction of a physical wall, so that we can stop human trafficking and stem the flow of deadly drugs and criminals into our country.”

In April 2018, Trump  signed  into law a bill dubbed the “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017.”

The act makes it easier to take legal action against individuals who use websites to facilitate sex trafficking, while also aiding victims to fight back against websites that profit from their exploitation.

In the same month, the FBI seized Backpage.com, the largest child-sex trafficking website in the United States. 

Nearly three-quarters of the cases submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children relate to ads posted on Backpage.com.

Reports of suspected child-sex trafficking increased 846 percent between 2010 and 2015, largely due to the use of the internet, according to The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The bill signed in April has already led to the shutdown of 87 percent of sites used in online human trafficking.

trump stated that securing the border will play a key role in ending human trafficking
Trump stated that securing the border will play a key role in ending human trafficking

Human Traffickers Brought To Justice

Numerous federal departments and agencies, at the president's direction, have sought to fulfill the laws governing human trafficking to the fullest extent, resulting in many criminal arrests.

In 2017, the Department of Justice secured convictions against over 500 defendants in human trafficking cases.

At the same time, the FBI dismantled more than 42 criminal enterprises engaged in child sex trafficking in the same year, according to the proclamation.

Meanwhile, in the same year, the Department of Homeland Security initiated more than 800 human trafficking cases, resulting in at least 1,500 arrests and 530 convictions.

Health and Human Services modernized the National Human Trafficking Hotline while the Department of Transportation recently established an advisory committee on the best practices to combat human trafficking.

“Under my Administration, the Federal Government will continue to play a leading role in the fight against human trafficking,” Trump's proclamation said.

“But all Americans can help in this effort by recognizing key indicators that can potentially save a life.”

Trump said that he would “not rest” until human trafficking was completely eradicated and described it as a "blight on humanity" and an “affront to our fundamental values.”

“As a Nation, we cherish and uphold the notion that all people are created with inherent dignity and entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” the proclamation reads.

“Human trafficking and enslavement rob victims of these God-given endowments.”

Source : ‘Neon Nettle'

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