Attorney General Jeff
Sessions issued the following proclamation commemorating National Slavery and
Human Trafficking Prevention Month:
“Human trafficking is a
nationwide public health and civil rights crisis. Its victims are everywhere:
at truck stops, in cities, in rural areas, and in suburbs, and who now total an
unconscionable 25 million victims globally according to some estimates. That
means 25 million human beings—parents, siblings, and children—have been coerced
into a commercial sex act, forced into labor, or exploited because they
desperately seek a better life. It is a priority of the Department of Justice
to combat this depraved and predatory behavior through swift and aggressive
enforcement of our nation’s laws to bring traffickers to justice and restore
the lives of victims and survivors.
“The Justice Department’s
U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, working closely with the Federal Bureau of
Investigation (FBI), other federal agencies, and our state, local, and tribal
partners, are on the front lines, leading our shared fight against human
trafficking in all its forms. These
entities are supported by the Department’s Civil Rights Division which is home
to a team of dedicated investigators and prosecutors—the Human Trafficking
Prosecution Unit (the HTPU)—tasked with bringing human traffickers to justice
and vindicating the rights of their victims. Additionally, the Department’s
Criminal Division includes the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS),
which is committed to harnessing expertise in attacking the technological and
systemic challenges that are involved in the sexual exploitation of minors, as
well as other specialized prosecution teams who bring expertise in organized
crime and money laundering.
“Our efforts have produced
high-impact prosecutions to dismantle transnational organized human trafficking
enterprises, have launched interagency anti-trafficking initiatives with
unprecedented momentum, and have vindicated the rights and freedoms of
countless victims and survivors.
“These efforts resulted in
the conviction of nearly 500 defendants in trafficking cases in fiscal year
2017, and making $47 million available to help trafficking survivors. Last fall, the FBI—along with state and local
task forces and international law enforcement partners—recovered 84 minors and
arrested 120 traffickers, as part a single week-long operation. However, we are
keenly aware that many challenges lie ahead and we are committed to taking our
efforts to the next level.
“In his Presidential
Proclamation, President Trump asked us to ‘recommit ourselves to eradicating
the evil of enslavement’ and to ‘pledge to do all in our power to end the
horrific practice of human trafficking.’ In the spirit of the President’s
request, the Justice Department is hosting a Human Trafficking Summit in
Washington, D.C. on February 2, 2018, two days before Super Bowl LII. The Super Bowl provides an opportunity to
raise awareness of the surge in commercial sex activity around major sporting
events, and of our commitment to finding and protecting sex trafficking victims
who are at risk of being compelled, coerced, or exploited as minors in that
context.
“The Human Trafficking Summit
will be led by Associate Attorney General Rachel Brand and will convene law
enforcement, victim support organizations, and the business community to focus
on enhancing the strong partnerships behind all successful anti-trafficking
efforts and identifying opportunities to increase collaboration and
coordination as we take on new challenges.
“There is no room in a
civilized society for those who choose to violate an individual’s rights and
freedoms by subjecting them to any form of human trafficking. To those that
still make that choice: make no mistake, the Justice Department will use every
lawful tool to uncover your illegal activity and bring you to justice.”
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