Press release for National Human Trafficking Prevention Month

National Human Trafficking Prevention Month is a time to recommit to eradicating a scourge that violates human dignity, weakens the rule of law, corrupts supply chains, exploits workers and fuels violence around the world.

Combating human trafficking requires a strong coalition of local and global partners to share resources and information, better equip frontline workers, and track and respond to evolving trends in human trafficking. By partnering with survivors in these efforts, we can ensure that our policies, strategies, and programs are survivor-centered, trauma-informed, and sensitive to the particularly acute threat faced by minority and other underserved populations.

We start the year with the realization that there is still a lot of work ahead of us. We recommit to raising the issue of human trafficking in our bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, developing innovative partnerships, and identifying and addressing emerging forms of human trafficking, such as the proliferation of online scams and other forms of technology-enabled human trafficking. The recently released Presidential Memorandum for Advancing Worker Empowerment, Rights, and High Labor Standards Globally will also help prevent forced labor by promoting respect for internationally recognized labor rights. We will also use our annual human trafficking report to explore current trends, share lessons learned, strengthen coordination with civil society and the private sector, and identify where we can do better.

All those committed to combating human trafficking around the world can count on the United States as a steadfast partner in finally ending this crime.