IV 

116TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION H. RES. 90 

Supporting the observation of ‘‘National Slavery and Human Trafficking 

Prevention Month’’ during January 2019 to promote efforts to prevent, 

eradicate, and raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JANUARY 30, 2019 

Mr. COSTA (for himself, Mr. OLSON, Mr. GONZALEZ of Texas, Mrs. WAGNER, 

Mr. RYAN, Mr. MCNERNEY, and Mr. LAMBORN) submitted the following 

resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 

RESOLUTION 

Supporting the observation of ‘‘National Slavery and Human 

Trafficking Prevention Month’’ during January 2019 to 

promote efforts to prevent, eradicate, and raise awareness of human trafficking and modern slavery. 

Whereas because the people of the United States remain committed to protecting individual freedom, there is a national imperative to eliminate human trafficking and 

modern slavery, which is commonly considered to mean— 

(1) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of an individual through the use of 

force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjecting 

that individual to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt 

bondage, or slavery; or 


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•HRES 90 IH 

(2) the inducement of a commercial sex act by force, 

fraud, or coercion, or in which the individual induced to 

perform that act is younger than 18 years of age; 

Whereas human trafficking is a $150 billion per year global 

industry and is one of the most profitable forms of 

transnational crime with more than 40 million victims 

worldwide; 

Whereas every survivor of sex and labor trafficking has the 

right to be truly recognized and treated as a victim and 

should be treated with the same justice, respect, and dignity as other victims of crime; 

Whereas victims of human trafficking are difficult to identify 

and are subject to manipulation, force, fraud, coercion, 

and abuse; 

Whereas the Department of Justice has reported that human 

trafficking and modern slavery has been reported and investigated in each of the 50 States and the District of 

Columbia; 

Whereas, in addition to holding perpetrators accountable, the 

Department of Justice also reports on human trafficking, 

developed a national strategic plan to support trafficking 

victims, and funds support services; 

Whereas the Department of Health and Human Services 

plays a critical role in identifying and supporting trafficking victims through the Office of Trafficking in Persons with efforts like the National Human Trafficking 

Hotline; 

Whereas, since 2007, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has identified over 45,000 cases of human trafficking; 


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Whereas in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 

(22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), Congress created the T visa 

program for the victims and families of victims of human 

trafficking; 

Whereas to combat human trafficking and modern slavery in 

the United States and globally, the people of the United 

States, the Federal Government, and State and local governments must be— 

(1) aware of the realities of human trafficking and 

modern slavery; and 

(2) dedicated to stopping the horrific enterprise of 

human trafficking and modern slavery; 

Whereas human trafficking victims deserve a trauma-informed approach that integrates the pursuit of justice 

and provision of social services designed to help them escape, and recover from, the physical, mental, emotional, 

and spiritual trauma they endured; 

Whereas Congress recently enacted the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign Authorization Act (Public 

Law 115–125) to unify and coordinate Department of 

Homeland Security (DHS) efforts to address human trafficking; 

Whereas DHS uses a victim-centered approach ‘‘which places 

equal value on the identification and stabilization of victims and providing immigration relief, as well as the investigation and prosecution of traffickers’’; 

Whereas the United States should hold accountable all individuals, groups, organizations, and countries that support, advance, or commit acts of human trafficking and 

modern slavery; 


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Whereas through education, the United States must also 

work to end human trafficking and modern slavery in all 

forms in the United States and around the world; 

Whereas although laws to prosecute perpetrators of human 

trafficking and to assist and protect victims of human 

trafficking and modern slavery, such as the Abolish 

Human Trafficking Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–392), 

the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2017 (Public 

Law 115–393), the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115–427), the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017 (Public Law 115– 

425), the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (22 

U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), title XII of the Violence Against 

Women Reauthorization Act of 2013 (Public Law 113– 

4), the Trade Facilitation and Trade Enforcement Act of 

2015 (19 U.S.C. 4301 et seq.), the Justice for Victims 

of Trafficking Act of 2015 (Public Law 114–22), and the 

National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 

(Public Law 114–328), have been enacted in the United 

States, it is essential to increase public awareness, particularly amongst individuals who are most likely to come 

into contact with victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, regarding conditions and dynamics of human 

trafficking and modern slavery precisely because traffickers use techniques that are designed to severely limit 

self-reporting and evade law enforcement; and 

Whereas the ability to stop the heinous act of human trafficking will take the unified efforts of Congress, Federal 

agencies, State and local governments, State and local 

law enforcement, and nonprofit organizations: Now, 

therefore, be it 


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1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives sup2 ports— 

3 (1) observing ‘‘National Slavery and Human 

4 Trafficking Prevention Month’’ to recognize the vital 

5 role that the people of the United States have in 

6 ending human trafficking and modern slavery; 

7 (2) the coordinated efforts of 17 Federal agen8 cies led by the Department of Homeland Security 

9 and its Blue Campaign, the Department of Justice, 

10 and the Department of Health and Human Services; 

11 (3) urging continued partnerships with State 

12 and local governments, social service providers, and 

13 nonprofit organizations to address human trafficking 

14 with a collaborative, victim-centered approach; and 

15 (4) all other efforts to prevent, eradicate, and 

16 raise awareness of human trafficking and modern 

17 slavery. 

Æ 


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