IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 490 

Urging the United Nations to establish a commission on the prevention 

of slavery, human trafficking, and exploitation. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

OCTOBER 7, 2005 

Ms. MILLENDER-MCDONALD submitted the following resolution; which was 

referred to the Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION 

Urging the United Nations to establish a commission on 

the prevention of slavery, human trafficking, and exploitation. 

Whereas trafficking and exploitation of vulnerable people is 

a problem that affects virtually every country in the 

world; 

Whereas the globalization of the world economy has increased 

the movement of people across borders, legally and illegally, especially from poorer to wealthier countries; 

Whereas an overwhelming majority of those trafficked and 

exploited are women and children; 

Whereas trafficking in people, especially women and children, 

for prostitution and forced labor is one of the fastest 

growing areas of international criminal activity and one 
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that is of increasing concern to the United States Administration, Congress, and the international community; 

Whereas the fear of HIV infection among customers has driven traffickers to recruit younger women and girls, some 

as young as seven, erroneously perceived by customers to 

be too young to have been infected with HIV; 

Whereas according to the most recent Department of State 

estimates, between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked across borders each year worldwide and combined 

with trafficking within countries, the total figure is estimated at between 2,000,000 and 4,000,000; 

Whereas international organized crime has taken advantage 

of the freer flow of people, money, goods and services to 

extend its own international reach; 

Whereas there is no single victim stereotype; a majority of 

trafficked women are under the age of 25 and many are 

in their mid to late teens; 

Whereas like global terrorism, and global catastrophes, 

human trafficking and exploitation is the responsibility of 

the global community and should be addressed by the 

United Nations through the establishment of a commission; 

Whereas the international community began meeting in 1999 

to draft a Protocol to Prevent, Suppress, and Punish 

Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children in 

conjunction with the United Nations Convention Against 

Transnational Organized Crime; 

Whereas the United States, along with Argentina, introduced 

the draft protocol in January 1999 and negotiations were 

concluded in 2000 on a revised draft; 
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Whereas on November 15, 2000, the United Nations General 

Assembly adopted the Convention on Transnational 

Crime, including the Protocol on Trafficking, and the 

Convention and Protocols formally signed in Palermo, 

Italy, in December 2000, were designed to enable countries to work together more closely against criminals engaged in cross-border crimes; 

Whereas the United States signed the United Nations Protocol on Trafficking in December 2000, but has not yet 

ratified it; and 

Whereas the increased threat of global terrorism, ongoing 

wars and natural catastrophes such as tsunamis, hurricanes, earthquakes, and the international community’s 

response to these occurrences has a direct impact on 

human trafficking, slavery, and exploitation: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that— 

3 (1) the President should direct the United 

4 States Permanent Representative to the United Na5 tions to use the voice, vote, and influence of the 

6 United States to urge the United Nations to estab7 lish a commission on slavery, human trafficking, and 

8 exploitation; and 

9 (2) the commission described in paragraph (1) 

10 should work to develop recommendations regarding 

11 measures to be implemented in carrying out humani12 tarian efforts to prevent, and treat the adverse ef-
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1 fects of, human trafficking and exploitation in re2 gions of war, terrorism, and natural disaster, and in 

3 regions subject to any other circumstance that ren4 ders susceptible populations vulnerable to human 

5 trafficking and exploitation. 

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