Human trafficking remains a pressing, dire issue that the U.S. government is committed to eradicating.
Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo announced that the U.S. Department of State will invest an additional $25 million in the Program to End Modern Slavery, a targeted effort to reduce the prevalence of human trafficking in specific countries or regions.
This recent addition brings the total U.S. investment to $75 million, which makes it the department’s largest anti-trafficking program.
The secretary made the announcement October 29 as he chaired the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, which coordinates efforts across the U.S. government on the issue.
Pompeo was joined by Advisor to the President Ivanka Trump, several members of the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking and representatives of 18 other federal departments and agencies.
.@POTUS pledged to be a voice for the voiceless, & there is no more vulnerable a population than victims of human trafficking. I was honored to join @SecPompeo & leadership across 19 USG agencies to coordinate & accelerate efforts to end this evil scourge. #EndTrafficking #PITF pic.twitter.com/Nl4lY2HRRs
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) October 29, 2019
Through its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, the State Department assesses what governments around the world are doing to combat this crime.
“The Trump Administration is committed to ending human trafficking for its estimated 25 million global victims,” Pompeo said October 29. “Modern slavery simply has no place in the world.”
