WASHINGTON— On Tuesday, August 4, the Trump Administration announced over $35 million in Justice Department grants to victims of human trafficking and organizations that serve them.

U.S. Attorney General William Barr and presidential adviser Ivanka Trump announced the awards at a White House event.

Barr called human trafficking an “evil scourge,” thanking President Trump and Ivanka Trump for their efforts to end it. Barr added that his department will do everything possible to “investigate, prosecute and punish” traffickers.

Ivanka Trump deemed human trafficking to be the “gravest of human rights violations.”

The $35 million in Housing Assistance Grants for Victims of Human Trafficking is given by the Office for Victims of Crime within the Justice Department’s Office of Justice Programs to provide housing and services to human trafficking survivors.

“The administration has heard these concerns and is responding by awarding leading nonprofit organizations the necessary funding to ensure that survivors have a stable place to live,” said Ivanka Trump in a statement.

The grant will be divided by 73 organizations in 33 states. Its target is short-term housing assistance to survivors, like paying rent, utilities or related expenses. The money can also be used to assist survivors in finding permanent housing, work and receiving occupational training and counseling.

Among the organizations receiving the grants are Camillus House Inc., in Miami, Alternatives for Girls in Detroit and the Jordan Community Resource Center in Shaker Heights.

Ivanka Trump has addressed the issue throughout Trump’s presidency and was influential in Trump’s appointing of a special advisor on human trafficking in January.

Previously, Ivanka has said that human trafficking is “modern-day slavery” and the White House is committed to ending it.