In recognition of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and National Human Trafficking Awareness Day today, Congressman John Curtis (R-UT) released the following statement: “Human trafficking is evil and I feel strongly that we need to do everything we can to combat it,” said Curtis. “Today on National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, I am grateful for various organizations like Utah’s Operation Underground Railroad (OUR) and others. Their unique expertise has made a tremendous impact in fighting human trafficking in the US and across the world. With better support and coordination with the Federal Government, I believe they can do so much more. This Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council will help streamline unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.” In December, President Trump signed into law Rep. Curtis’ bill, The Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking Act, historic legislation that will create a Public-Private Advisory Council to provide a direct line to federal government agencies that will streamline unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles and empower nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations in the fight against human trafficking. The Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council will help fight human trafficking by:

• Serving as a point of contact for Federal agencies in coordination with nonprofits and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) fighting human trafficking for input on programming and policies related to their efforts.
• Consisting of eight to fourteen representatives from NGOs and nonprofit groups that have significant knowledge and experience in fighting human trafficking, or the rehabilitation and aftercare of human trafficking victims and survivors.
• Formulating assessments and recommendations to ensure that the policy and programming efforts of the Federal government conform to the best practices in the field of combatting human trafficking, and the rehabilitation and aftercare of victims.
• Submitting a report to Congressional Committees with recommendations for continued improvement.

Statement of Support: Tim Ballard, Founder and CEO of Operation Underground Railroad: “Human trafficking is a critical issue, and to more efficiently eradicate the problem, nonprofit groups need increased coordination with the Federal Government. This bill establishes a way to share successful anti-human trafficking strategies between federal agencies and organizations like Operation Underground Railroad.” In recent weeks, President Trump has signed four bills in recent weeks that demonstrate the bipartisan commitment to end human trafficking, including Curtis’ Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking Act. Click here to read more. He said: “This is an urgent humanitarian issue. My administration is committed to leveraging every resource we have to confront this threat, to support the victims and survivors, and to hold traffickers accountable for their heinous crimes.”  

###