Today, the United States Agency for International Development commemorates National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, with the hope of bringing an end to this heinous crime that affects an estimated 25 million people around the world. Each day, adults and children are ripped away from their families, communities, and everyday lives, forced to experience life-altering trauma, and coerced into sexual exploitation, violence, or forced labor—or some terrible combination of all three. To end this scourge, it is incumbent upon the United States, and our partners around the world, to take tangible actions that will end human trafficking.
Over the last 20 years, USAID has provided more than $340 million to fight human trafficking in dozens of countries around the world—investing in awareness-raising programs to prevent trafficking and empowering survivors through livelihood and skills training and psychosocial support.
USAID has also launched a newly revised Counter-Trafficking in Persons (C-TIP) Policy, reflecting the Biden-Harris Administration’s holistic commitment to fight human trafficking as outlined in the White House’s National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking [PDF, 792K]. C-TIP programs are tailored to address the needs of marginalized populations and are aimed at building local capacity of survivor-led organizations, governments, civil society, and the private sector. The policy also highlights USAID’s promotion of gender and racial equity, and focuses on local capacity building to address this human rights abuse.
USAID remains steadfast in its commitment to working alongside host governments, survivors, civil society, and the private sector to end human trafficking and uphold the dignity of trafficking survivors.