US is rolling back trafficking protections at home while slashing global anti-slavery funding
In a move sending shockwaves across the global anti-trafficking sector, the US government has terminated 69 US international programs addressing child labor, forced labor, and human trafficking. At the same time, the government is also ordering domestic agencies to erase references to trafficking victims’ race, immigration status, and LGBTQ+ identity.
Decades of progress at risk
The funding cuts will immediately end over $500 million in US Department of Labor grants through its Bureau of International Labor Affairs. This move terminates work across 40 countries in sectors from fishing and agriculture to electronics. In Honduras, a single $13 million grant had helped over 6,000 children access education and trained hundreds of labor inspectors. Now that’s gone.
The Guardian reports,
John Clark, a Trump-appointed official, in the email justified the cuts by citing a ‘lack of alignment with agency priorities and national interest’. The department’s spokesperson, Courtney Parella, echoed this sentiment, telling the Post that the administration wants to prioritize ‘investments in the American workforce.’
The ILO reports that child labor traps 160 million children worldwide, and minors make up nearly 40% of trafficking victims globally. The US government’s abrupt withdrawal from international anti-trafficking efforts raises concerns that these numbers will grow.