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DOJ Announces New Human Trafficking Coordinator

US Attorney General Eric Holder announced on Tuesday that the Justice Department will establish a new coordinator within DOJ to specifically focus on human trafficking. In a speech in Little Rock, Holder reaffirmed the US’s commitment to combating trafficking all over the world, including domestically.

In his speech, Holder said that the new coordinator will allow DOJ to better address the trafficking problem. He said, “This step will allow the department to continue to break new ground, and to more quickly develop and implement the most effective possible approaches for meeting our shared public safety goals and moral obligation – of preventing human trafficking, protecting victims across the country, punishing perpetrators, and empowering victims to move forward as survivors.”

Holder said that over 40% of DOJ’s human trafficking cases involve children. He also told the crowd that the problem is no longer confined to developing countries and that DOJ was also addressing the problem of trafficking immigrants in the United States. There was a record 120 cases of trafficking in the US this past year.

NPR 4/25/12; AP 4/24/12

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