[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 541 Introduced in House (IH)]






108th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 541

 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Senate 
   should give its advice and consent to ratification of the United 
 Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and certain 
                           Protocols thereto.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           February 26, 2004

    Mr. English (for himself, Mr. Engel, Mr. Burton of Indiana, Mr. 
     Emanuel, and Mr. Smith of New Jersey) submitted the following 
   resolution; which was referred to the Committee on International 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Senate 
   should give its advice and consent to ratification of the United 
 Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and certain 
                           Protocols thereto.

Whereas every year approximately 700,000 individuals, most of them women and 
        children, are traded by criminal organizations for purposes of slavery 
        or sexual or pedophiliac exploitation;
Whereas victims of trafficking in persons are abducted as a result of force, 
        deception, or abuse of vulnerability, robbed of identity papers, and 
        deluded as to the destination of their journey;
Whereas victims of trafficking in persons are often powerless and the poorest, 
        socially marginalized members of society;
Whereas trafficking in persons is a grave violation of human rights because its 
        victims are stripped of human dignity and autonomy and treated as 
        instruments in the gain of illicit revenues;
Whereas trafficking in persons is caused by many factors, including corruption 
        and the demand for work abroad--often a result of poverty, 
        underdevelopment, and high unemployment;
Whereas trafficking in persons is a 21st century form of slavery with its 
        negative implications for the global community, including national and 
        international organized crime which threatens sustainable development 
        and the rule of law, a rise in corruption through continuous illicit 
        profits, increased funding for terrorist organizations, and the spread 
        of diseases such as HIV/AIDS;
Whereas on December 13, 2000, the United States became a signatory to the United 
        Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (adopted by the 
        United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/25 of November 15, 
        2000), the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in 
        Persons, Especially Women and Children (supplementing such Convention 
        and contained in Annex II of Resolution 55/25), and the Protocol Against 
        Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air (supplementing such 
        Convention and contained in Annex III of Resolution 55/25); and
Whereas to date the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized 
        Crime, the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in 
        Persons, Especially Women and Children, and the Protocol Against 
        Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air have not entered into force 
        with respect to the United States: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, 
That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that, as soon as 
possible after the date of the adoption of this resolution, the Senate 
should give its advice and consent to ratification of the United 
Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (adopted by 
the United Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/25 of November 15, 
2000), the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in 
Persons, Especially Women and Children (supplementing such Convention 
and contained in Annex II of Resolution 55/25), and the Protocol 
Against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air (supplementing such 
Convention and contained in Annex III of Resolution 55/25), in 
accordance with Article II, section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution.
                                 <all>