January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) is contributing to the cause by offering guidelines to raise awareness about trafficking. The global trafficking network is believed to ensnare millions of people for various reasons.

According to a DOD news release, the department has pioneered education through its Combating Trafficking in Persons (CTIP) office with the goal of halting human trafficking. CTIP delivers a curriculum focused on human trafficking awareness to approximately 3.4 million civilian and military personnel affiliated with the DOD.

"More than 27 million people around the world endure the abhorrent abuse of human trafficking and forced labor, including thousands of people right here in the United States," President Joe Biden stated. "It is a threat to global security, public safety, and human dignity. During National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we reaffirm our commitment to ending these predatory crimes at home and across the globe."

In an effort to curb human trafficking, the DOD is assembling a Chaplain toolkit as they have identified that chaplains are often the first point of contact for individuals ensnared in human trafficking seeking refuge, as per the news release. Additionally, CTIP is developing a toolkit for healthcare providers to recognize signs of human trafficking within medical settings and provide guidance on how they can respond appropriately. Other resources include toolkits, public service announcements, posters available in 22 languages, worker's rights cards available in 10 languages, newsletters, fact sheets and training provided through the CTIP website.

"The vast majority of human trafficking victims are women and girls," Biden further noted. "In 2022, we reauthorized the Violence Against Women Act, which I first wrote as a United States Senator some 30 years ago — this time expanding the jurisdiction of Tribal courts to prosecute non-Native American sex traffickers."