PITTSBURGH (Newsradio 1020 KDKA) – On Tuesday, President Donald Trump released his National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, focused on ending human trafficking in the United States by approving the largest Department of Justice grant package in history to combat human trafficking.
The DOJ funding to combat human trafficking was doubled from the previous administration and includes funds to enhance prosecutions and frontline efforts as well as first-time grants for safe housing for survivors.
"We renew our resolve to redouble our efforts to deliver justice to all who contribute to the cruelty of human trafficking, and will tenaciously pursue the promise of freedom for all victims of this terrible crime," President Trump said in a statement.
The Trump Administration is working to implement a whole-of-government approach to finding and ending human trafficking by increasing awareness and education, decreasing demand, and decreasing imports of products resulting from forced labor.
During the 2019 fiscal year, the DOJ-funded human trafficking task forces at the state and local levels reported opening over 2,500 new cases, and federal agencies initiated more that 1,600 new investigations into human traffickers.
The administration is working with Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives to better understand the impact of human trafficking within their communities, as well as signed bilateral agreements with Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to help eliminate labor exploitation.
President Trump has signed nine pieces of bipartisan legislation to combat human trafficking both in the United States and abroad since taking office.
Read more information about the National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking here.
