Elon Musk’s dismantling of the agency that provides overseas humanitarian aid harms children who rely on it for protection from online exploitation and human trafficking, a new report in Wired alleged.
Musk reportedly slashed the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, from 10,000 employees around the world to fewer than 300.
“Groups identifying victims and providing care for those who have been subject to online exploitation or human trafficking are struggling to support the vulnerable children,” reported Matt Burgess for Wired. “Such child safety projects often take place in poorer countries, which can have fewer resources to support victims or investigate crimes.”
Jessica Ryckman, the executive director of the nonprofit Lawyers Without Borders, told Wired, “Many of these victims engage with their traffickers through electronic means. It is exploitation that is advanced through digital technology.”
According to the report, the child safety programs saved more than 350 children in the Philippines during the first Trump administration and arrested nearly 100 alleged criminals. “The new cuts also come as record levels of online child sexual abuse imagery are being discovered,” Burgess wrote.
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The article quoted an employee of a South American child protection group who said, “Victims and perpetrators alike originate from diverse regions and countries, underscoring the necessity for continued international engagement and coordinated efforts to address these crimes comprehensively. The interruption of these funds inevitably limits the scope and reach of these critical services.”
In addition to USAID, global child protection projects have also lost much-needed funding from the U.S. State Department for at least 90 days, following a Trump administration order.
Burgess wrote, “Both government bodies have provided funding to help countries and people around the world. This includes USAID’s vast swath of health care and education programs—their withdrawal is putting millions of lives at risk and limits tackling the climate crisis.”
Last week, a federal judge froze Musk’s plan to completely gut USAID. According to The New York Times, “The judge was ruling on a lawsuit filed on behalf of the largest union representing federal workers and the union that represents Foreign Service officers.” In his decision, the judge said, “The unions had established that the employees affected by the leave and withdrawal orders would suffer ‘irreparable harm.'”
Neither USAID nor the State Department provided a comment for the article.