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[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 60 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 60

 Supporting the goals and ideals of observing the National Slavery and 
 Trafficking Prevention Month from January 1 through February 1, 2015, 
       to raise awareness of, and opposition to, modern slavery.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            January 30, 2015

   Mrs. Feinstein (for herself, Mr. Kirk, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Toomey, Ms. 
Klobuchar, Mr. Coons, Mrs. Murray, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Brown, Mrs. Shaheen, 
  Mrs. Gillibrand, Mr. Kaine, Ms. Heitkamp, Mr. King, Mr. Markey, Mr. 
 Isakson, and Mr. Rubio) submitted the following resolution; which was 
                        considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
 Supporting the goals and ideals of observing the National Slavery and 
 Trafficking Prevention Month from January 1 through February 1, 2015, 
       to raise awareness of, and opposition to, modern slavery.

Whereas the United States has a tradition of advancing fundamental human rights, 
        having abolished the Transatlantic Slave Trade in 1808 and having 
        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, which is the recruitment, harboring, transportation, 
        provision, or obtaining of persons for labor or services through the use 
        of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to 
        involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery, and the 
        inducement of a commercial sex act by force, fraud, or coercion, or in 
        which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years 
        of age;
Whereas to combat human trafficking in the United States and globally, the 
        people of the United States, the Federal Government, and State and local 
        governments must be aware of the realities of human trafficking and must 
        be dedicated to stopping this contemporary manifestation of slavery;
Whereas human trafficking is estimated to be a $32,000,000,000 criminal 
        enterprise, making it the second largest criminal enterprise in the 
        world, behind the drug trade;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that nearly 21,000,000 people around the 
        world are victims of forced labor, including 4,500,000 people who are 
        victims of forced sexual exploitation;
Whereas the Department of Justice estimates that up to 83 percent of sex 
        trafficking victims in the United States are citizens of the United 
        States;
Whereas beyond all differences of race, creed, or political persuasion, the 
        people of the United States face national threats together and refuse to 
        let modern slavery exist in the United States and around the world;
Whereas the United States should actively oppose all individuals, groups, 
        organizations, and nations that support, advance, or commit acts of 
        human trafficking;
Whereas through education, the United States must also work to end slavery in 
        all of its forms around the world;
Whereas victims of modern slavery need support in order to escape and recover 
        from the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual trauma associated 
        with their victimization;
Whereas human traffickers use many physical and psychological techniques to 
        control their victims, including the use of violence or threats of 
        violence against the victim or the victim's family, isolation from the 
        public, isolation from the victim's family and religious or ethnic 
        communities, language and cultural barriers, shame, control of the 
        victim's possessions, confiscation of passports and other identification 
        documents, and threats of arrest, deportation, or imprisonment if the 
        victim attempts to reach out for assistance or to leave;
Whereas although laws to prosecute perpetrators of modern slavery and to assist 
        and protect victims of human trafficking, such as the Trafficking 
        Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.) and title XII of 
        the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Public Law 113-
        4; 127 Stat. 54), have been enacted in the United States, awareness of 
        the issues surrounding slavery and trafficking by those people most 
        likely to come into contact with victims is essential for effective 
        enforcement because the techniques that traffickers use to keep their 
        victims enslaved severely limit self-reporting;
Whereas January 1 is the anniversary of the effective date of the Emancipation 
        Proclamation;
Whereas February 1 is the anniversary of the date on which President Abraham 
        Lincoln signed the joint resolution sending the 13th Amendment to the 
        States for ratification, to forever declare that ``Neither slavery nor 
        involuntary servitude . . . shall exist within the United States, or any 
        place subject to their jurisdiction'' and is a date which has long been 
        celebrated as National Freedom Day, as described in section 124 of title 
        36, United States Code;
Whereas under its authority to enforce the 13th Amendment ``by appropriate 
        legislation'', Congress in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 
        2000 updated the post-Civil War involuntary servitude and slavery 
        statutes and adopted an approach known as the ``3P'' approach of victim 
        protection, vigorous prosecution, and prevention of human trafficking; 
        and
Whereas the effort by individuals, businesses, organizations, and governing 
        bodies to commemorate January 11 as Human Trafficking Awareness Day 
        represents one of the many positive examples of the commitment in the 
        United States to raise awareness of, and to actively oppose, modern 
        slavery: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate supports--
            (1) the goals and ideals of observing the National Slavery 
        and Trafficking Prevention Month from January 1 through 
        February 1, 2015, to recognize the vital role that the people 
        of the United States have in ending modern slavery;
            (2) marking this observance with appropriate programs and 
        activities culminating in the observance on February 1 of 
        National Freedom Day, as described in section 124 of title 36, 
        United States Code; and
            (3) all other efforts to raise awareness of, and opposition 
        to, human trafficking.
                                 <all>
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