President Joe Biden, in acknowledgment of January as National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, said his administration will do all in its power to combat “a profoundly immoral crime that strikes at the safety, health and dignity of millions of people worldwide.”
“We reaffirm our commitment to protect and empower survivors of all forms of human trafficking, to prosecute traffickers, and to bring an end to human trafficking in the United States and around the world,” Biden said in a statement.
“My administration is committed to stopping human trafficking wherever it occurs,” the president added. “We released the updated National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking, a whole-of-government approach to combating human trafficking in the United States and abroad.”
The plan links anti-trafficking initiatives to the administration’s wider efforts to counter illicit financing; advance gender and racial equity; expand the rights and dignity of working people; and promote safe, orderly and humane migration.
“My administration is also dedicated to ensuring that our justice system holds accountable any individuals or entities engaged in this horrendous crime – and that our domestic and global economic systems offer no safe harbor to forced labor or other abuses,” the president continued.
“In addition to helping survivors on their road to recovery, we must also learn from their expertise in order to better detect trafficking crimes that are often hidden in plain sight, bring perpetrators to justice, and improve our prevention efforts,” Biden said.
The heightened awareness of human trafficking comes on the heels of an HBO documentary that spotlighted the work of the Black and Missing Foundation, headed by Washington, D.C.-based sisters-in-law Derrica and Natalie Wilson.
The film, “Black and Missing,” explored how systemic behaviors and attitudes stem from centuries of deeply rooted racism, as well as the stark disparity in the media coverage of white and Black missing persons.
Biden said that since human trafficking disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minorities, women and girls, LGBTQI+ individuals, vulnerable migrants and other historically marginalized and underserved communities, the administration’s mission to combat human trafficking must always be connected to broader efforts to advance equity and justice across society.
“During National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, let us resolve to counter injustice and fortify our commitment to pursue dignity and freedom for all people,” the president said. “I call upon businesses, civil society organizations, communities of faith, families, and all Americans to recognize the vital role we play in combating human trafficking, and to observe this month with appropriate programs and activities aimed at preventing all forms of human trafficking.”
The National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888) is an important resource to report a tip or ask for help.
I think in order to control Human Trafficking that occurs due to Bidens open Border policys, he is going to have to change them.
He knows what goes on and turns a blind eye to it. I do not believe he will make the neeed changes.
Open borders are more important to him than anything or anyone!