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NY Gov?t Leaders, Activists Urge Strong Senate Bill to Curb Human Trafficking

By Ann Bartow

Today, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens), New York City Council Member Helen Sears (D-Jackson Heights), and other leaders in the fight against human trafficking rallied at City Hall and released letters to U.S. Senate leaders urging them to quickly pass a strong anti-trafficking bill (full copies of the advocates? letters are below). Last week, the U.S. House overwhelmingly passed the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3887), which authorizes critical funding to combat trafficking and help victims ?however, advocates now want to make sure that the Senate passes an equally strong measure. Additionally, Council Member Sears announced at the rally that she is having a City Council resolution prepared to call for the swift passage of this act by the U.S. Senate. Joining Maloney and Sears at the event were New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Ambassador John Miller, who led the State Department?s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, New York State Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz, Council Member Jessica Lappin, representatives of NOW-NYS, NOW-NYC, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Sanctuary for Families, the Polaris Project, the New York Association of New Americans, ECPAT-USA, the American Association of University Women, Girls Learn International, the Women?s City Club of NY, the Veteran Feminists of America, and others. ?We need a strong bill to ensure that the punishments for human trafficking fit this terrible crime,? said Rep. Maloney. ?Make no mistake: human trafficking is 21st-century slavery. The House bill gives prosecutors the tools they need to hold traffickers accountable and better protect trafficking victims. I urge my Senate counterparts to include these measures in their version of the legislation. Additionally, I?d like to thank my good friend Helen Sears for her leadership in fighting human trafficking here in New York City and her efforts to secure Council support for this crucial bill.? "The practice of human trafficking is a worldwide problem -and one that requires a worldwide solution- that we in the US should be taking the lead on,? said Speaker Quinn. "The House of Representatives showed real leadership in passing the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. It is now up to our colleagues in the Senate to follow in their footsteps to take this important step to protect the millions of people caught up in this horrifying industry." "I am grateful to Congresswoman Maloney for her persistent efforts to have the federal government recognize its responsibility to do everything it can to stop this horrendous betrayal to human beings," said Sears. "The City Council is also doing its part and has passed a human trafficking initiative that is in the final planning stages." ?I am very proud that the state of New York enacted my anti-Human Trafficking legislation into law. New York now has the toughest laws in the nation to fight human trafficking and we provide services for human trafficking victims. I applaud Congresswoman Maloney for her long time leadership on the federal level to combat modern day slavery. I urge the United States Senate to follow the lead of Congresswoman Maloney and the House of Representatives and pass this legislation quickly as possible,? said Assemblyman Dinowitz. "Many people are surprised to learn is that this modern-day slavery is happening in the U.S. and in the neighborhoods where we work and live. JFK Airport is a main gateway used by traffickers to bring in victims. There are few states that have as great a stake in the federal trafficking efforts than New York. The National Organization for Women urges the Senate to pass the TVPRA which includes broader protections for trafficked women and children,? said Sonia Ossorio, President of NOW-NYC. H.R. 3887 authorizes critical funding to combat trafficking and help victims. The law would allow the Department of Justice to prosecute traffickers without having to prove fraud, force or coercion, or a victim's status as a minor - instead, the law would allow prosecutors to use these aggravating circumstances as the basis for enhanced penalties. Currently, the law requires testimony from a traumatized victim who has reason to fear the consequences to herself or her family if she testifies. By eliminating the need for victims to testify about force, fraud or coercion, prosecutors will have a more effective way to crack down on traffickers. The law would also require the Attorney General to conduct a biennial survey of trafficking in the United States. Background Congresswoman Maloney is an original cosponsor of H.R. 3887. She has worked to combat sex trafficking internationally, nationally, and in her New York City district for the past seven years. Maloney urged state and federal prosecutors to investigate Queens-based Big Apple Oriental Tours and other sex tour operators for criminal violations. She is a strong supporter of federal legislation to strengthen the ability of the government to prosecute sex tour operators. A landmark law to make the United States a leader in combating the worldwide affliction of sex trafficking was enacted in 2006. That law incorporates key provisions of the End Demand for Sex Trafficking Act championed by Maloney and Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-OH). Council Member Sears first introduced a resolution to combat trafficking in 2006. Resolution 504, which passed the Council in November 2006, called upon the State of New York to recognize that human trafficking is a crime and to pass legislation criminalizing human trafficking and providing services and programs to trafficking victims. In addition, Council Member Sears is the driving force behind the upcoming City Council Trafficking Initiative. --- December 10, 2007 The Honorable Joseph R. Biden, Jr. The Honorable Richard Lugar Chairman Ranking Member Senate Foreign Relations Committee Senate Foreign Relations Committee 439 Dirksen Senate Office Building 450 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Biden and Ranking Member Lugar, We want to thank you for your outstanding leadership on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and on many other issues. We are writing to you about a matter of mutual concern: combating human trafficking. Human trafficking is a $10 billion worldwide industry and one of the largest organized crime rings in history. According to the State Department, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders for labor and commercial sex purposes each year; the number is in the millions when trafficking within borders is counted. However, trafficking is not just a problem in other countries --it is happening in the United States, in communities across the country. The lives of trafficking victims are pure horror: many are tricked into the country, fooled into believing that they will be doing legitimate jobs. They arrive, many with limited English skills, or are picked up as runaways at U.S. bus stations, and have everything taken from them --their documents, if they have any, are held by their trafficker. They see very little of the money they earn. They are cut off from the outside world, have no freedom of movement and no friends or relatives to help them. As you know, the House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 3887, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. We believe that this historic and bipartisan bill will dramatically strengthen our capability to fight human trafficking by enhancing efforts to prosecute traffickers and by providing valuable assistance to victims. It is crucial for Congress to give prosecutors the necessary tools to hold the traffickers accountable and to combat this form of modern-day slavery. This is a fight that has brought together Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, religious leaders and secular leaders. Because of our strong interest in addressing the issue of trafficking, we worked to pass legislation in New York State and hope to see continued attention to fighting human trafficking by the federal government. We strongly urge you to move legislation through your committee that retains the strong language contained in H.R. 3887 so that we help to end the exploitation of women, men, and children by pimps and traffickers in the United States and around the world. Sincerely, Carolyn B. Maloney Member of Congress for the New York Supporters of Strong Legislation Against Human Trafficking --- December 10, 2007 The Honorable Patrick J. Leahy The Honorable Arlen Specter Chairman Ranking Member Senate Judiciary Committee Senate Judiciary Committee 224 Dirksen Senate Office Building 152 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Washington, D.C. 20510 Dear Chairman Leahy and Ranking Member Specter, We want to thank you for your outstanding leadership on the Senate Judiciary Committee and on many other issues. We are writing to you about a matter of mutual concern: combating human trafficking. Human trafficking is a $10 billion worldwide industry and one of the largest organized crime rings in history. According to the State Department, approximately 800,000 people are trafficked across international borders for labor and commercial sex purposes each year; the number is in the millions when trafficking within borders is counted. However, trafficking is not just a problem in other countries --it is happening in the United States, in communities across the country. The lives of trafficking victims are pure horror: many are tricked into the country, fooled into believing that they will be doing legitimate jobs. They arrive, many with limited English skills, or are picked up as runaways at U.S. bus stations, and have everything taken from them --their documents, if they have any, are held by their trafficker. They see very little of the money they earn. They are cut off from the outside world, have no freedom of movement and no friends or relatives to help them. As you know, the House of Representatives recently passed H.R. 3887, the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. We believe that this historic and bipartisan bill will dramatically strengthen our capability to fight human trafficking by enhancing efforts to prosecute traffickers and by providing valuable assistance to victims. It is crucial for Congress to give prosecutors the necessary tools to hold the traffickers accountable and to combat this form of modern-day slavery. This is a fight that has brought together Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, religious leaders and secular leaders. Because of our strong interest in addressing the issue of trafficking, we worked to pass legislation in New York State and hope to see continued attention to fighting human trafficking by the federal government. We strongly urge you to move legislation through your committee that retains the strong language contained in H.R. 3887 so that we help to end the exploitation of women, men, and children by pimps and traffickers in the United States and around the world. Sincerely, Carolyn B. Maloney Member of Congress for the New York Supporters of Strong Legislation Against Human Trafficking

Full post as published by Feminist Law Professors on June 11, 2008 (boomark / email).