Combating Human Trafficking and Online Child Exploitation in the United States, 6721-6723 [2020-02438]

Agencies

• Executive Office of the President

[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