Restoring Hope: A National Strategy to Protect Children and End Human Trafficking

The fight against human trafficking cannot end with identifying the problem—it must move toward real, lasting solutions. Protecting children and families requires a coordinated approach that blends prevention, justice, and accountability. Family support systems must be strengthened, tech companies held responsible, and traffickers prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Survivors, especially child victims, deserve a justice system that empowers rather than retraumatizes. Ending human trafficking means not only rescuing victims but rebuilding the structures that prevent exploitation in the first place.

Children who survive trafficking deserve restoration, not a legal system that exacerbates their suffering. Legal systems must treat them as victims, not offenders, and provide them with compassionate support throughout the judicial process. This includes guaranteed legal representation, trauma-informed counseling, and confidentiality protections that shield them from further harm. Courts should adopt child-sensitive procedures that preserve privacy while maintaining justice, ensuring survivors never face their abusers unprotected. Beyond the courtroom, laws must prevent exploitation before it begins—requiring age verification for online platforms, expanding parental monitoring rights, and protecting parents who report suspected trafficking. Justice that prioritizes compassion gives survivors a chance to reclaim their futures.

Accountability must extend to the perpetrators of trafficking themselves, and true justice demands meaningful penalties and full restitution for victims. Traffickers should be required to pay for medical care, psychological treatment, and long-term recovery costs. Seized assets and fines should fund survivor services and prevention programs, ensuring punishment contributes to healing. Governments must also modernize data systems that track trafficking cases, making progress measurable and transparent. Reliable data guides smarter policies, closes protection gaps, and holds agencies accountable for enforcement. With consistent oversight, anti-trafficking initiatives can shift from reactive to proactive, breaking cycles of exploitation before they begin.

To make real progress, the United States must unite around a comprehensive anti-trafficking strategy. States should adopt consistent laws that recognize trafficked children as victims, not criminals. Faith-based and nonprofit organizations should expand family assistance, prevention education, and survivor recovery programs. Law enforcement must strengthen online investigations and partner with tech companies to identify and remove harmful content. Every sector—public, private, and faith-based—has a role to play in protecting children. Ending trafficking will require persistence, compassion, and collaboration. By combining prevention, accountability, and survivor-centered justice, America can build a future where no child grows up in fear and every family stands free from exploitation.