The White House announced on Tuesday that the administration is partnering with National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), in a joint effort to mitigate sex traffickers and online predators, Fox News originally reported. The group has seen a “dramatic increase” in sexual exploitation reports.
Together with Attorney General Bill Barr, Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and Ivanka Trump, both the NCMEC and administration will unveil the “Safety Pledge Campaign” to crack down on child exploitation, which can ultimately lead to child trafficking.
"While we continue to develop our understanding of the impact of COVID-19 and social distancing on child safety, we already know that more time online means more direct access to children, including for those intending to harm them," the website's introduction reads. "From online enticement to sexting and sextortion, it is critical that we combine efforts to protect children from online risks."
NCMEC is proud to partner with the @WhiteHouse, @DHSgov & @TheJusticeDept to provide #SafetyPledge, a child safety education & awareness campaign to help keep America’s children safer!
— NCMEC (@MissingKids) September 29, 2020
Tune in TODAY at 2pm ET for a prevention & safety webinar!??https://t.co/5bx37QOYPq pic.twitter.com/2oDImO9Q9S
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Ivanka Trump, who has been at the forefront of the administration’s efforts to combat human trafficking as a whole, said that social media plays a role in increased child exploitation online:
“With an increased use of social media and gaming platforms while at home, there are more opportunities than ever for abusers to exploit children online,” Ivanka Trump said to Fox News. “This administration is fighting to protect our children from online predators and traffickers at every turn.”
The advocacy campaign hopes to provide resources to parents, educators and caregivers, free of charge, in hopes of raising awareness about the very real danger of child exploitation.
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