IV 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 90

Supporting the goals and ideals of Anti-Slavery Day. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

FEBRUARY 14, 2005

Mr. ENGEL (for himself, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. HOLT, and Mr. 

MCGOVERN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 

Committee on International Relations 

RESOLUTION

Supporting the goals and ideals of Anti-Slavery Day.

Whereas Anti-Slavery International, established in 1839 in 

the United Kingdom, is the oldest human rights organization in the world, and has declared February 27, 2005, 

as Anti-Slavery Day; 

Whereas Free the Slaves is the United States sister organization to Anti-Slavery International; 

Whereas Anti-Slavery Day is dedicated to focusing attention 

on the existence of slavery in the world today and the 

possibility of eradicating slavery; 

Whereas, in 2005, at least 27,000,000 people are enslaved 

around the world; 

Whereas the Declaration of Independence recognizes the inherent dignity and worth of all people, and states that all 
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people are ‘‘created equal’’ and are ‘‘endowed by their 

creator with certain inalienable rights’’, which includes 

the right to be free from slavery and involuntary servitude; 

Whereas the United States outlawed slavery and involuntary 

servitude in 1865, recognizing in the 13th amendment to 

the Constitution, that slavery and involuntary servitude 

are inherently evil institutions that must be abolished; 

Whereas the United States and the international community 

have repeatedly condemned slavery, involuntary servitude, 

and human trafficking through declarations, treaties, and 

United Nations resolutions and reports, including the 

Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the 1926 Slavery Convention, the 1956 Supplementary Convention on 

the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institutions and Practices Similar to Slavery, the 1948 American Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, the 

1957 Abolition of Forced Labor Convention, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the 

Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman 

or Degrading Treatment or Punishment; 

Whereas these prohibitions against slavery have achieved the 

level of customary international law and have attained 

jus cogens status, and the practice of slavery has been 

universally accepted as a crime against humanity; 

Whereas slavery is characterized by the complete control of 

one person by another using violence or the threat of violence, and by the use of economic exploitation by one person against another; 

Whereas slavery has dramatically increased worldwide in the 

past 50 years due, in part, to the tripling of the popu-
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lation of the world during that period, resulting in large 

numbers of poor and vulnerable people, the economic 

transformation of the developing world which has increased the susceptibility of such people to enslavement, 

and the corruption of government and police forces that 

allows violence against such people to be used with impunity even where slavery is nominally illegal; 

Whereas slavery thrives in situations of conflict, social disruption, political chaos, and economic crisis; 

Whereas the traffic in human beings is third only to the traffic in drugs and weapons in generating profits for organized crime worldwide; 

Whereas between 800,000 and 900,000 of the world’s slaves 

are estimated to be trafficked across international borders each year, of whom between 14,500 and 17,500 are 

trafficked into the United States each year; 

Whereas Free the Slaves’ research indicates that slavery is 

present in most countries and that slavery affects those–

especially women and children—who are most vulnerable 

and have less social and economic power in their communities; 

Whereas education and economic empowerment, especially of 

women and girls, have proven to be the most powerful 

preventative measures to combat slavery; 

Whereas slavery is a global crime and is integrated into the 

global economy, and it therefore requires a global approach for its eradication and increased public education 

for all citizens; 

Whereas goods made by slaves feed into the global economy 

and enter the markets of the United States in violation 

of United States laws; 
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Whereas Free the Slaves, labor organizations, consumer organizations, and United States industry, working with 

Members of Congress, have developed a multi-sector approach to eradicate slavery from the product supply 

chains of goods which prevents slavery from entering 

United States homes; 

Whereas the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in 

Persons of the Department of State coordinates United 

States activities in the global fight against modern-day 

slavery; 

Whereas Ambassador John R. Miller, appointed in 2004, 

serves as the first United States Ambassador-at-Large in 

the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons; 

Whereas, in September 2004, the United States levied sanctions on Burma, Cuba, Equatorial Guinea, North Korea, 

Sudan, and Venezuela for failing to meet the minimum 

standards for combating human trafficking as outlined in 

the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, and 

named Equatorial Guinea, Sudan, and Venezuela eligible 

for such sanctions; 

Whereas President George W. Bush stated in his address to 

the United Nations on September 23, 2003, that ‘‘Nearly 

two centuries after the abolition of the trans-Atlantic 

slave trade, and more than a century after slavery was 

officially ended in its last strongholds, the trade in 

human beings for any purpose must not be allowed to 

thrive in our time’’; and 

Whereas former Attorney General John Ashcroft organized 

educational conferences for local law enforcement agents 
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to recognize incidents of human trafficking when they encounter it: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That—

2 (1) supports the goals and ideals of Anti-Slav3 ery Day; 

4 (2) requests that the President issue a procla5 mation calling on the people of the United States to 

6 observe Anti-Slavery Day with appropriate cere7 monies, programs, and activities; and 

8 (3) encourages the Department of State to in9 crease cooperation with foreign governments to com10 bat slavery, provide legal protections to victims of 

11 slavery, and provide social services to assist in repa12 triation, family reunification, and exit from slavery.

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