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November 13, 2023

**TO: Members of the Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness**

**House Committee on Government Reform**

**FROM: Dan Burton, Chairman**

> **SUBJECT: Subcommittee Hearing, entitled "Trafficking In Persons: The
> Federal Government's Approach to Eradicate This Worldwide Problem"**

The Subcommittee on Human Rights and Wellness will hold an oversight
hearing on **[Thursday, July 8, 2004 in Room 2154 of the Rayburn House
Office Building at 2:00 p.m.]{.underline}**

# BACKGROUND 

The purpose of this hearing is to look into the actions that both this
government, and non-governmental organizations have taken to combat and
eradicate the grievous crime against humanity of trafficking in persons.
In addition, the Subcommittee will discuss the ways in which the Federal
Government and non-governmental organizations are

working together to help educate our nation's law enforcement agencies
to better assist victims of trafficking.

Human trafficking and slavery take many forms, such as child sex tourism
(CST), forced prostitution, child soldiering, involuntary servitude,
sweatshop labor, as well as domestic and intensive servitude in places
such as agriculture and construction. Although many people believe that
slavery in its many forms are no longer a major global problem in modern
times, it is currently victimizing over 27 million people worldwide,
which constitutes the largest concentration of slaves in human history.
In addition, human slavery represents the third most lucrative form of
trafficking, next to the drug trade and guns, roughly contributing over
\$13 Billion (U.S. currency) every year to the global economy, according
to U.S. Department of State figures.

According to the Trafficking In Persons Report produced annually by the
Department of State, there are between 600,000 to 800,000 persons being
trafficked across international borders every year. Of this figure, it
is estimated that roughly 14,500 to 17,500 victims of trafficking are
brought into the United States annually, although slavery in all its
forms were outlawed nearly 130 years ago, in 1865.

To address this continual problem, the United States government has
taken many actions in order to combat, and to one day eliminate this
global catastrophe. In 2000, Congress passed, and the President signed
into law, The *Trafficking Victims Protection Act* (Public Law 106-386).
This legislation was the first step toward providing protection to
victims of this crime, as well as, prosecution of those who perpetrate
these crimes. This legislation also required that the Department of
State submit an annual report to Congress regarding the status of
trafficking in persons around the world. To address the Department of
State actions on trafficking, as well as the recently-released
Trafficking in Persons report, the Subcommittee has invited the
Honorable John Miller, Director of the Office to Monitor and Combat
Trafficking at the Department of State to speak on these most important
initiatives.

On December 19, 2003, Congress passed H.R. 2620, the *Trafficking
Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003*, which authorized
appropriations for Fiscal Years 2004 and

2005 for the *Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.* In addition
to the reauthorization of certain programs, this new law added more
responsibilities to the government's anti-trafficking agenda. Some of
the new responsibilities include further campaigns to combat
sex-tourism, harsher punishments for those convicted of trafficking
crimes, and expanded eligibility for victims and certain family members
for access to services and funds.

The Act also dictates that the Attorney General submit an annual report
of their activities to combat trafficking to Congress, which was first
released on May 1, 2004. This report is to provide information on
Federal government activities to combat trafficking in persons within
the United States. To gain a further perspective into these activities,
as well as to discuss the implications of this first-ever Department of
Justice report on trafficking, the Subcommittee has invited the
Honorable Deborah Daniels, Assistant Attorney General at the Office of
Victims of Crime at DOJ, to expound upon these issues.

The Federal Government has not only worked to combat instances of human
trafficking within the United States (and abroad), but also to assist
the victims of these crimes to better their quality of life. Within the
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Office of Refugee
Resettlement has been instrumental in ensuring the health and well being
of victims of trafficking. The Subcommittee has requested that the
Honorable Claude Allen, Deputy Secretary for the Office of Refugee
Resettlement, testify on the various programs and services that the
department has implemented to assist victims of trafficking in the
United States.

The Federal Government has also worked alongside non-governmental
organizations to further contend with the issue of human slavery. One
such organization is the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking,
also known as CAST. Recently, CAST opened the

first shelter for victims of trafficking in the United States. The
Subcommittee has respectfully requested that Kay Buck, Co-Executive
Director of CAST to speak on the progress of the shelter, and how they
have worked alongside the Federal Government on

the issue of human trafficking in the United States. To further expound
on the Federal Government / NGO relationships regarding trafficking in
persons, the Subcommittee has also invited Brooke McMurray, Chair of
Safe Horizon, Inc., to give testimony on Safe Horizon's involvement with
the Federal Government, as well as giving a perspective on the struggles
of victims and survivors of human trafficking. Through funding from the
Department of Health and Human Services, Safe Horizon, Inc. provides
intensive case management, shelter, legal services, and mental health
care to survivors of trafficking.

An integral component of their work has been coordination with local and
Federal law enforcement, to ensure that victims' needs are addressed and
that the criminal justice system holds traffickers accountable for the
human rights violations.

In addition, Katherine Chon, Co-Director for The Polaris Project has
been invited to testify before the Subcommittee on how the Polaris
Project has become one of the largest direct intervention and action
oriented research institutions to combat trafficking in women and
children.

Michele Clark, Co-Director for the Protection Project at Johns Hopkins
University School of Advanced International Studies, has also been
invited to give testimony on the scope of the problem of trafficking in
persons worldwide, with a focus on national and international laws,
legal cases, and the scope of the problem and implications of
trafficking in other areas of US and international foreign policy.

**Invited Witnesses:**

## Panel I

#### 

#### The Honorable John Miller

#### Director

Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons

Department of State

#### 

#### The Honorable Deborah Daniels

Assistant Attorney General

Office for Victims of Crime

Office of Justice Programs

Department of Justice

#### The Honorable Claude Allen

Deputy Secretary

Office of Refugee Resettlement

Administration for Children and Families

Department of Health & Human Services

## 

## Panel II

**Kay Buck**

Co-President

Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking

**Michele Clark**

Co-Director

Protection Project

Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies

**Brooke McMurray**

Chair

Safe Horizon, Inc.

**Katherine Chon**

Co-Executive Director

Polaris Project

**[Staff Contact:]{.underline}**

Mindi Walker (202) 225-6427