President Donald Trump has declared January will be "National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month," in an effort to combat the practice of modern human slavery and exploitation, the White House announced on Friday.
Sex and labor trafficking traps as many as 25 million people, according to a statement from the White House. In making the announcement, it called the practice "a modern form of the oldest and most barbaric type of exploitation," adding, "It has no place in our world," the Washington Examiner reported.
"Instead of delivering people to better lives, traffickers unjustifiably profit from the labor and toil of their victims, who they force — through violence and intimidation — to work in brothels and factories, on farms and fishing vessels, in private homes, and in countless industries," the statement read.
The Trump administration explained efforts developed during the past year were already under way, including an inter-agency task force to develop new anti-slavery policies and an executive order targeting criminal organizations that have engaged in human trafficking.
"This month we do not simply reflect on this appalling reality," the White House said. "We also pledge to do all in our power to end the horrific practice of human trafficking that plagues innocent victims around the world."
As early as this past February, Trump's daughter, Ivanka, reportedly brought the issue to the forefront in the West Wing, when the president held a "listening session" about domestic and international human trafficking, including the sexual exploitation of women and girls for profit, Axios reported.
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