White House Announces Plan to ‘Dismantle’ Trafficking Organizations

A multi-agency 2021 “National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking” released Friday by the White House is aimed at dismantling human trafficking enterprises by going after their financial networks, communications systems and other infrastructure.

“Human trafficking is an insidious crime that impacts some of the most vulnerable people in our country and around the world,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland in announcing the plan. “Vindicating the rights of human trafficking victims and other vulnerable individuals ranks among the highest priorities of the Department of Justice.

Other measures in the plan include:

• Developing improved technology for human trafficking interdiction and identifying technical barriers impeding investigations.
• Enhance capabilities to locate children who are missing, including those who have run away from foster care, and are vulnerable to human trafficking.
• Ensure the safety and well-being of human trafficking victims in the course of FBI investigations by using and promoting a victim-centered, trauma-informed approach among all federal, state, local, territorial and tribal law enforcement partners.

“Human trafficking is an intolerable affront to ideals of liberty, justice and individual rights that disproportionately impacts vulnerable individuals and marginalized communities, including people of color, migrants and refugees, LQBTQI+ people and people living with disabilities,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke for the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.

“This National Action Plan, developed through extensive collaboration among leading anti-trafficking experts, reflects the Civil Rights Division’s steadfast commitment to making our nation’s fight against human trafficking more effective than ever before. We will use every available tool to hold perpetrators of human trafficking accountable for their crimes while pursuing justice on behalf of survivors.”

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