Combating Human Trafficking and Online Child Exploitation in the United States
| Published date | 05 February 2020 |
| Citation | 85 FR 6721 |
| Record Number | 2020-02438 |
| Section | Presidential Documents |
| Court | Executive Office Of The President |
Federal Register, Volume 85 Issue 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2020)
[Federal Register Volume 85, Number 24 (Wednesday, February 5, 2020)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 6721-6723]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2020-02438] Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 85 , No. 24 / Wednesday, February 5, 2020 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 6721]]
Executive Order 13903 of January 31, 2020
Combating Human Trafficking and Online Child
Exploitation in the United States
By the authority vested in me as President by the
Constitution and the laws of the United States of
America, including the Trafficking Victims Protection
Act, 22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq., it is hereby ordered as
follows:
Section 1. Policy. Human trafficking is a form of
modern slavery. Throughout the United States and around
the world, human trafficking tears apart communities,
fuels criminal activity, and threatens the national
security of the United States. It is estimated that
millions of individuals are trafficked around the world
each year--including into and within the United States.
As the United States continues to lead the global fight
against human trafficking, we must remain relentless in
resolving to eradicate it in our cities, suburbs, rural
communities, tribal lands, and on our transportation
networks. Human trafficking in the United States takes
many forms and can involve exploitation of both adults
and children for labor and sex.
Twenty-first century technology and the proliferation
of the internet and mobile devices have helped
facilitate the crime of child sex trafficking and other
forms of child exploitation. Consequently, the number
of reports to the National Center for Missing and
Exploited Children of online photos and videos of
children being sexually abused is at record levels.
The Federal Government is committed to preventing human
trafficking and the online sexual exploitation of
children. Effectively combating these crimes requires a
comprehensive and coordinated response to prosecute
human traffickers and individuals who sexually exploit
children online, to protect and support victims of
human trafficking and child exploitation, and to
provide prevention education to raise awareness and
help lower the incidence of human trafficking and child
exploitation into, from, and within the United States.
To this end, it shall be the policy of the executive
branch to prioritize its resources to vigorously
prosecute offenders, to assist victims, and to provide
prevention education to combat human trafficking and
online sexual exploitation of children.
Sec. 2. Strengthening Federal Responsiveness to Human
Trafficking. (a) The Domestic Policy Council shall
commit one employee position to work on issues related
to combating human trafficking occurring into, from,
and within the United States and to coordinate with
personnel in other components of the Executive Office
of the President, including the Office of Economic
Initiatives and the National Security Council, on such
efforts. This position shall be filled by an employee
of the executive branch detailed from the Department of
Justice, the Department of Labor, the Department of
Health and Human Services, the Department of
Transportation, or the Department of Homeland Security.
(b) The Secretary of State, on behalf of the
President's Interagency Task Force to Monitor and
Combat Trafficking in Persons, shall make available,
online, a list of the Federal Government's resources to
combat human trafficking, including resources to
identify and report instances of human trafficking, to
protect and support the victims of trafficking, and to
provide public outreach and training.
[[Page 6722]]
(c) The Secretary of State, the Attorney General,
the Secretary of Labor, the Secretary of Health and
Human Services, and the Secretary of Homeland Security
shall, in coordination and consistent with applicable
law:
(i) improve methodologies of estimating the prevalence of human
trafficking, including in specific sectors or regions, and monitoring the
impact of anti-trafficking efforts and publish such methodologies as
appropriate; and
(ii) establish estimates of the prevalence of human trafficking in the
United States.
Sec. 3. Prosecuting Human Traffickers and Individuals
Who Exploit Children Online. (a) The Attorney General,
through the Federal Enforcement Working Group, in
collaboration with the Secretary of Labor and the
Secretary of Homeland Security, shall:
(i) improve interagency coordination with respect to targeting traffickers,
determining threat assessments, and sharing law enforcement intelligence to
build on the Administration's commitment to the continued success of
ongoing anti-trafficking enforcement initiatives, such as the Anti-
Trafficking Coordination Team and the U.S.-Mexico Bilateral Human
Trafficking Enforcement Initiatives; and
(ii) coordinate activities, as appropriate, with the Task Force on Missing
and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives as established by
Executive Order 13898 of November 26, 2019 (Establishing the Task Force on
Missing and Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives).
(b) The Attorney General and the Secretary of
Homeland Security, and other heads of executive
departments and agencies as appropriate, shall, within
180 days of the date of this order, propose to the
President, through the Director of the Domestic Policy
Council, legislative and executive actions that would
overcome information-sharing challenges and improve law
enforcement's capabilities to detect in real-time the
sharing of child sexual abuse material on the internet,
including material referred to in Federal law as
``child pornography.'' Overcoming these challenges
would allow law enforcement officials to more
efficiently identify, protect, and rescue victims of
online child sexual exploitation; investigate and
prosecute alleged offenders; and eliminate the child
sexual abuse material online.
Sec. 4. Protecting Victims of Human Trafficking and
Child Exploitation. (a) The Attorney General, the
Secretary of Health and Human Services, and the
Secretary of Homeland Security, and other heads of
executive departments and agencies as appropriate,
shall work together to enhance capabilities to locate
children who are missing, including those who have run
away from foster care and those previously in Federal
custody, and are vulnerable to human trafficking and
child exploitation. In doing so, such heads of
executive departments and agencies, shall, as
appropriate, engage social media companies; the
technology industry; State, local, tribal and
territorial child welfare agencies; the National Center
for Missing and Exploited Children; and law enforcement
at all levels.
(b) The Secretary of Health and Human Services, in
consultation with the Secretary of Housing and Urban
Development, shall establish an internal working group
to develop and incorporate practical strategies for
State, local, and tribal governments, child welfare
agencies, and faith-based and other community
organizations to expand housing options for victims of
human trafficking.
Sec. 5. Preventing Human Trafficking and Child
Exploitation Through Education Partnerships. The
Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland
Security, in coordination with the Secretary of
Education, shall partner with State, local, and tribal
law enforcement entities to fund human trafficking and
child exploitation prevention programs for our Nation's
youth in schools, consistent with applicable law and
available appropriations.
Sec. 6. General Provisions. (a) Nothing in this order
shall be construed to impair or otherwise affect:
[[Page 6723]]
(i) the authority granted by law to an executive department or agency, or
the head thereof; or
(ii) the functions of the Director of the Office of Management and Budget
relating to budgetary, administrative, or legislative proposals.
(b) This order shall be implemented consistent with
applicable law and subject to the availability of
appropriations.
(c) This order is not intended to, and does not,
create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural,
enforceable at law or in equity by any party against
the United States, its departments, agencies, or
entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any
other person.
(Presidential Sig.)
THE WHITE HOUSE,
January 31, 2020.
[FR Doc. 2020-02438
Filed 2-4-20; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3295-F0-P
