[Keely Sharp]
A new year signified fresh starts and new opportunities!
President Trump has decided to take a fresh approach at combatting human trafficking and designated January of 2018 as the “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.”
Trump released a proclamation on December 29, which announced that January will be a time for our country to issued Dec. 29, “recommit ourselves to eradicating the evil of enslavement.”
“Human trafficking is a modern form of the oldest and most barbaric type of exploitation,” it said, “It has no place in our world. This month we do not simply reflect on this appalling reality. We also pledge to do all in our power to end the horrific practice of human trafficking that plagues innocent victims around the world.”
Former President Obama made a similar proclamation during his presidency, designatingJanuary 2017 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. Obama alsosigned anti-human trafficking legislation in 2015 to provide services and protections for trafficking victims.
Trump announced that in January, he will sign into law two anti-trafficking bills, the “Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act” and the “No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act.”He also touted several ways his administration has moved to combat human trafficking, such as signing an executive order last February to dismantle international crime organizations and setting up an interagency task force on working with other nations to combat trafficking.
Trump has repeatedly lamented rising crime rates in the U.S., despite evidence that crime isat a low, particularly in big cities.
“The Department of State has contributed $25 million to the Global Fund to End Modern Slavery, because of the critical need for cross-nation collaborative action to counter human trafficking,” the proclamation continued, “The Department of Labor has released an innovative, business-focused mobile app that supports private-sector efforts to eradicate forced labor from global supply chains.”
