Department of Justice Recognizes the Conclusion of its National Human Trafficking Prevention Month Observance

The Justice Department today concluded its observance of National Human Trafficking Prevention Month by reflecting on the wide range of anti-trafficking actions undertaken across the department in January.

Each year, Human Trafficking Prevention Month provides an important opportunity for the department to renew its resolve and intensify its efforts in combating human trafficking.

As the department emphasized at the outset of Human Trafficking Prevention Month, vindicating the rights of human trafficking victims and other vulnerable persons ranks among the department’s highest priorities. The department is determined to build on the bold actions of the past month during the months and years ahead to make our whole-of-department anti-trafficking efforts more effective than ever before.

Actions during Human Trafficking Prevention Month included:

• Publication of a human trafficking edition of Community Policing Dispatch;
• Release of articles and updated resource materials highlighting Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) grantees’ support for child labor trafficking victims; BJS human trafficking data collection efforts; survivor stories; standards of care for victim service providers; anti-labor trafficking organizations; prevention approaches; outreach tools and OVC child trafficking victim resources that generated over 6,650 webpage views and over 4,000 social media platform views;
• Delivery of numerous training programs to federal state, local, Tribal and non-governmental anti-trafficking partners, including:
  • a Human Trafficking in Indian Country course that reached over 890 attendees;
  • a Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit training on securing victim restitution for federal prosecutors nationwide;
  • an FBI training on gang-related human trafficking threats attended by over 300 FBI agents and task force officers;
  • Human trafficking training for all immigration judges;
  • Executive Office for Immigration Review Model Hearing Programs that reached over 720 stakeholders;
  • a new OVC Labor Trafficking Training and Technical Assistance program to over 460 participants and
  • an advanced OVC-HHS training on assisting foreign-national child and youth trafficking victims;
• Over 70 anti-trafficking outreach and awareness events led by FBI Field Offices to engage state and local law enforcement, child protection services, government agencies, non-governmental and faith-based organizations, youth centers, financial institutions, hospitality industry representatives, schools and other community partners in detecting and reporting human trafficking indicators;
• National Institute of Justice workshops of researchers, academics, officials, lived-experience experts, survivor-advocates and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to develop prevalence measurement methodologies;
• Launch of a National Human Trafficking Strategic Initiative by the Organized Crime and Drug Enforcement Task Force;
• Posting anti-trafficking articles on the Bureau of Prisons intranet;
• Exchanges of expertise with Mexican authorities on dismantling transnational trafficking enterprises and
• Participation of 66 U.S. Attorneys in releasing Public Service Announcements to increase community engagement in combating human trafficking in their respective districts.

Further information on the Justice Department’s broad-based efforts to combat human trafficking can be found at Human Trafficking | Human Trafficking (justice.gov) and Office of Public Affairs | Justice Department Observes National Human Trafficking Prevention Month | United States Department of Justice.