    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 133, 116th Congress, 1st Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    Proclamation 9975 of December 31, 2019

    National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, 2020

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    Human trafficking erodes personal dignity and destroys the moral fabric
    of society. It is an affront to humanity that tragically reaches all
    parts of the world, including communities across our Nation. Each day,
    in cities, suburbs, rural areas, and tribal lands, people of every age,
    gender, race, religion, and nationality are devastated by this grave
    offense. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month,
    we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to eradicate this horrific
    injustice.
    Trafficking crimes are perpetrated by transnational criminal
    enterprises, gangs, and cruel individuals. Through force, fraud,
    coercion, and sexual exploitation of minors, traffickers rob countless
    individuals of their dignity and freedom, splinter families, and
    threaten the safety of our communities. In all its forms, human
    trafficking is an intolerable blight on any society dedicated to
    freedom, individual rights, and the rule of law.
    Human trafficking is often a hidden crime that knows no boundaries. By
    some estimates, as many as 24.9 million people--adults and children--are
    trapped in a form of modern slavery around the world, including in the
    United States. Human traffickers exploit others through forced labor or
    commercial sex, and traffickers profit from their victims' horrific
    suffering. The evil of human trafficking must be defeated. We remain
    relentless in our resolve to bring perpetrators to justice, to protect
    survivors and help them heal, and to prevent further victimization and
    destruction of innocent lives.
    This year marks nearly 20 years since our Nation took decisive steps in
    the global fight against human trafficking by enacting the Trafficking
    Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and nearly 15 years since the
    United States ratified the United Nations' Palermo Protocol to Prevent,
    Suppress, and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and
    Children (Palermo Protocol). Both the TVPA and the Palermo Protocol
    established a comprehensive framework for combating human trafficking by
    establishing prevention programs, creating victim protections, and
    advancing prosecutions under expanded criminal statutes to usher in the
    modern anti-trafficking movement domestically and globally. These two
    measures illustrate a global consensus on the issue, and yet as a Nation
    we must continue to work proactively to foster a culture of justice and
    accountability for this horrific crime.
    My Administration is committed to using every available resource,
    strengthening strategic partnerships, collaborating with State, local,
    and tribal entities, and by introducing innovative anti-trafficking
    strategies to bring the full force of the United States Government to
    help end this barbaric practice once and for all. In January 2019, I was
    proud to sign both the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention
    and Protection Reauthorization Act and the Trafficking Victims
    Protection Reauthorization Act, reaffirming our commitment to preventing
    trafficking in all forms.

    [[Page 3558]]

    With my resolute support, executive departments and agencies are
    steadfastly continuing the battle to abolish this form of modern
    slavery. In October 2019, the 19 members of my Interagency Task Force to
    Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons convened to highlight
    significant accomplishments in our sustained, whole-of-Government fight
    against human trafficking. The Anti-Trafficking Coordination Team
    (ACTeam) initiative, led by the Department of Justice, more than doubled
    convictions of human traffickers in ACTeam districts. Additionally, the
    Department of Homeland Security initiated more than 800 investigations
    related to human trafficking and the Department of State launched its
    Human Trafficking Expert Consultant Network, comprised of survivors and
    other subject matter experts, to inform its anti-trafficking policies
    and programs. The Department of Health and Human Services continues to
    provide funding for the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and in
    Fiscal Year 2018 it funded victim assistance programs that provided
    benefits and services to more than 2,400 victims. For the first time,
    the Department of Transportation committed $5.4 million in grants to the
    prevention of human trafficking and other crimes that may occur on
    buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation. The Office of
    Management and Budget also published new anti-trafficking guidance for
    Government procurement officials to more effectively combat human
    trafficking in Federal contracting.
    The inherent dignity, freedom, and autonomy of every person must be
    respected and protected. Despite the progress we have made and the
    momentum we have built toward ending human trafficking, there is still
    more to be done. This month, we renew our resolve to redouble our
    efforts to deliver justice to all who contribute to the cruelty of human
    trafficking, and we will tenaciously pursue the promise of freedom for
    all victims of this terrible crime.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of
    America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and
    the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim January 2020 as
    National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, culminating in
    the annual observation of National Freedom Day on February 1, 2020. I
    call upon industry associations, law enforcement, private businesses,
    faith-based and other organizations of civil society, schools, families,
    and all Americans to recognize our vital roles in ending all forms of
    modern slavery and to observe this month with appropriate programs and
    activities aimed at ending and preventing all forms of human
    trafficking.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this thirty-first day of
    December, in the year of our Lord two thousand nineteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-
    fourth.
    DONALD J. TRUMP