U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

SPEECH


Remarks of Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Amy L. Solomon at the Collaboration, Transformation, Impact: Celebrating 20 Years of OVC’s Anti-Trafficking Efforts Commemoration, Washington, DC

      Good afternoon, everyone. I’m Amy Solomon, the Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the Office of Justice Programs. I am so pleased to be part of this commemoration and to have the privilege of bringing today’s inspiring event to a close.

      I want to thank Kris Rose and our amazing team in the Office for Victims of Crime for making this day possible. And I’m grateful for the words of support and encouragement from our Attorney General, the Associate Attorney General and Assistant Attorney General Clarke. You can see that our commitment to human trafficking victims is truly embraced at the highest levels of the Department of Justice.

      We are, of course, very thankful to our speakers for giving us so much to think about and for motivating us to action. And we are grateful to everyone in this room for your leadership in your communities and for the work you do every day on behalf of human trafficking survivors.

      As our speakers have made clear, this work has never been more important. The more we learn about human trafficking, the more we appreciate the toll it takes on families, on communities and, especially, on individuals.

      But as we have heard today, these challenges can be eased through the support of compassionate providers, well-trained professionals and intentional action at all levels of government – and just as important, by amplifying the voices of survivors themselves.

      OVC is working hard, every day and in partnership with so many of you, to lift up the voices of human trafficking victims. OVC has grounded their programs and activities in what survivors tell us, improving and supporting responses that are trauma-informed, victim-centered, culturally relevant and tailored to the unique needs of every victim from every community.

      For example, the voices of survivors serve as the foundation for the National Standards of Care for Anti-Trafficking Service Providers, which ensures greater coordination and continuity of care and assistance. These standards are being developed in partnership with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office on Trafficking in Persons and will be informed by people with lived experience. They will articulate our expectation that federally-funded services should always be victim-centered and developmentally, culturally and linguistically appropriate.

      OVC’s contributions and leadership, and the contributions of everyone in this room, continue to move the field forward. Today, we are responding to human trafficking victims with deeper understanding of their needs, obstacles and interests. We’re providing more effective services and wider access to resources. And we’re helping to deliver a greater measure of justice to human trafficking survivors and a very real hope for a safer and brighter future.

      We have done this together, and I believe that the next 20 years will continue to advance the tremendous progress we have made over the last 20. I could not be more proud of what we have accomplished together, and I look forward to what we will achieve in the years ahead.

      I thank you all for being part of today’s commemoration, and on behalf of all of us at the Department of Justice, thank you for everything you do to support and assist survivors of human trafficking every day.

      This concludes our ceremony.

###

Date Published: January 26, 2023