[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 20 (Thursday, January 31, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S810-S811]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
SENATE RESOLUTION 36--SUPPORTING THE OBSERVATION OF NATIONAL
TRAFFICKING AND MODERN SLAVERY PREVENTION MONTH DURING THE PERIOD
BEGINNING ON JANUARY 1, 2019, AND ENDING ON FEBRUARY 1, 2019, TO RAISE
AWARENESS OF, AND OPPOSITION TO, HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND MODERN SLAVERY
Mrs. FEINSTEIN (for herself, Mr. Grassley, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Cornyn, Ms.
Klobuchar, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Markey, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr.
Brown, Mr. Toomey, and Mr. Rubio) submitted the following resolution;
which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:
S. Res. 36
Whereas the United States abolished the transatlantic slave
trade in 1808 and abolished chattel slavery and prohibited
involuntary servitude in 1865;
Whereas, because the people of the United States remain
committed to protecting individual freedom, there is a
national imperative to eliminate human trafficking and modern
slavery, which is commonly considered to mean--
(1) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision,
or obtaining of an individual through the use of force,
fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjecting that
individual to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage,
or slavery; or
(2) the inducement of a commercial sex act by force, fraud,
or coercion, or in which the individual induced to perform
that act is younger than 18 years of age;
Whereas the Department of Justice has reported that human
trafficking and modern slavery has been reported and
investigated in each of the 50 States and the District of
Columbia;
Whereas, since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline
has identified more than 45,000 cases of human trafficking;
Whereas victims of human trafficking are difficult to
identify and are subject to manipulation, force, fraud,
coercion, and abuse;
Whereas, to help businesses in the United States combat
child labor and forced labor in global supply chains, the
Department of Labor has identified 148 goods from 76
countries that are made by child labor and forced labor;
Whereas the Department of State has reported that the top 3
countries of origin of federally identified trafficking
victims in fiscal year 2017 were the United States, Mexico,
and Honduras;
Whereas forced labor and human trafficking generates
revenues of approximately $150,000,000,000 annually worldwide
and there are an estimated 40,000,000 victims of human
trafficking across the globe;
Whereas, to combat human trafficking and modern slavery in
the United States and globally, the people of the United
States, the Federal Government, and State and local
governments must be--
(1) aware of the realities of human trafficking and modern
slavery; and
(2) dedicated to stopping the horrific enterprise of human
trafficking and modern slavery;
Whereas the United States should hold accountable all
individuals, groups, organizations, and countries that
support, advance, or commit acts of human trafficking and
modern slavery;
Whereas, through education, the United States must also
work to end human trafficking and modern slavery in all forms
in the United States and around the world;
Whereas victims of human trafficking deserve a trauma-
informed approach that integrates the pursuit of justice and
provision of social services designed to help them escape,
and recover from, the physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual trauma they endured;
Whereas combating human trafficking requires a whole-of-
government effort that rests on a unified and coordinated
response among Federal, State, and local agencies and that
places equal value on the identification and stabilization of
victims, as well as the investigation and prosecution of
traffickers;
Whereas laws to prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking
and to assist and protect victims of human trafficking and
modern slavery have been enacted in the United States,
including--
(1) the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22
U.S.C. 7101 et seq.);
(2) title XII of the Violence Against Women Reauthorization
Act of 2013 (Public Law 113-4; 127 Stat. 136);
(3) the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015
(Public Law 114-22; 129 Stat. 227);
(4) sections 910 and 914(e) of the Trade Facilitation and
Trade Enforcement Act of 2015 (Public Law 114-125);
(5) section 1298 of the National Defense Authorization Act
for Fiscal Year 2017 (22 U.S.C. 7114);
[[Page S811]]
(6) the Abolish Human Trafficking Act of 2017 (Public Law
115-392);
(7) the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017 (Public
Law 115-393);
(8) the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention
and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-
425); and
(9) the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act
of 2017 (Public Law 115-427);
Whereas the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015
(Public Law 114-22; 129 Stat. 227) established the United
States Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to provide a
formal platform for survivors of human trafficking to advise
and make recommendations on Federal anti-trafficking policies
to the Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking established by the President;
Whereas the Department of Defense, the General Services
Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space
Administration issued a final rule (80 Fed. Reg. 4967) to
implement Executive Order 13627, entitled ``Strengthening
Protections Against Trafficking in Persons in Federal
Contracts'', that clarifies the policy of the United States
on combating trafficking in persons as outlined in the
Federal Acquisition Regulation by strengthening the
prohibition on contractors from charging employee recruitment
fees;
Whereas, although such laws and regulations are currently
in force, it is essential to increase public awareness,
particularly among individuals who are most likely to come
into contact with victims of human trafficking and modern
slavery, regarding conditions and dynamics of human
trafficking and modern slavery precisely because traffickers
use techniques that are designed to severely limit self-
reporting and evade law enforcement;
Whereas January 1 is the anniversary of the effective date
of the Emancipation Proclamation;
Whereas February 1 is--
(1) the anniversary of the date on which President Abraham
Lincoln signed the joint resolution sending the 13th
Amendment to the Constitution of the United States to the
States for ratification to forever declare, ``Neither slavery
nor involuntary servitude . . . shall exist within the United
States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction''; and
(2) a date that has long been celebrated as National
Freedom Day, as described in section 124 of title 36, United
States Code; and
Whereas, under the authority of Congress to enforce the
13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States ``by
appropriate legislation'', Congress, through the Trafficking
Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.),
updated the post-Civil War involuntary servitude and slavery
statutes and adopted an approach of victim protection,
vigorous prosecution, and prevention of human trafficking,
commonly known as the ``3P'' approach: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate supports--
(1) observing National Trafficking and Modern Slavery
Prevention Month during the period beginning on January 1,
2019, and ending on February 1, 2019, to recognize the vital
role that the people of the United States have in ending
human trafficking and modern slavery;
(2) marking the observation of National Trafficking and
Modern Slavery Prevention Month with appropriate programs and
activities, culminating in the observance on February 1,
2019, of National Freedom Day, as described in section 124 of
title 36, United States Code;
(3) urging continued partnerships with Federal, State, and
local agencies, as well as social service providers and
nonprofit organizations to address human trafficking with a
collaborative, victim-centered approach; and
(4) all other efforts to prevent, eradicate, and raise
awareness of, and opposition to, human trafficking and modern
slavery.
Mrs. FEINSTEIN. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a resolution in
observance of ``National Trafficking and Modern Slavery Prevention
Month.'' This resolution is meant to bring awareness to the worldwide
scourge of human trafficking.
All of us, as Americans, must raise our awareness of this pernicious
crime that often goes unnoticed and undetected in our communities.
Human trafficking claims over 40 million victims globally. It has also
created an estimated $150 billion global industry, an industry that
affects every State in America.
Traffickers prey on vulnerable populations, like those in the
juvenile justice system, and use physical and psychological techniques
to control their victims behind closed doors: isolating them from the
public, exploiting language and cultural barriers, and threatening
victims with violence. These techniques often prevent victims from
coming forward. All of us can do better in recognizing warning signs.
I have been heartened that recently, various private entities, such
as hotels, the travel industry, and those in the convenience-store
industry, have all come together to commit to training their employees
to better detect human trafficking. In addition to raising awareness,
January is also a month to renew our commitment to enforce, and enact,
laws to help eradicate trafficking.
For example, in 2000, Congress enacted the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act, which marked a strong commitment to prosecute human
traffickers and better aid victims.
Last Congress, then-Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley and I authored
the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which was complemented by
Senators Cornyn's and Klobuchar's Abolish Human Trafficking Act. Both
of those bills update our trafficking laws to better aid victims.
Bipartisan members of Congress worked together to address this
critical issue, and I am proud that both bills were signed into law
last month.
Finally, in introducing today's resolution, I would like to thank
Senators Grassley, Leahy, Cornyn, Klobuchar, Isakson, Markey, Shaheen,
Blumenthal, Brown, Toomey, and Rubio for cosponsoring the resolution.
Thank you very much, Mr. President. I yield the Floor.
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