On Tuesday, January 8 President Donald Trump signed into law the Frederick Douglass Act, a bill authorizing $430 million to combat human trafficking.
According to CBN News, the $430 million will be used over four years to fund the following:
- Shelter and counseling for victims;
- Training airline employees to spot potential victims;
- Oversight to make sure government funds do not employ traffickers;
- Prevention education for children;
- Facilitation of anti-human trafficking supply chains in US commerce.
The legislation received bipartisan support and is named in honor of Frederick Douglass who was born into slavery around 1818. Douglass fought to abolish the institution and served as an American diplomat. He was also the US minister and consul general to Haiti for three years.
"In the fight to end modern day slavery, my law honors the extraordinary legacy of one of the greatest Americans who ever lived," Representative Chris Smith of New Jersey said in a press release last Wednesday.
Smith has previously authored four major U.S. laws to fight trafficking: the landmark Trafficking Victims Protection Act (P.L. 106-386) that started it all, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (P.L. 108-193), the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-164) and the International Megan's Law (P.L. 114-119).
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