IV 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 541 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that the Senate should 
give its advice and consent to ratification of the United Nations Conven-
tion Against Transnational Organized Crime and certain Protocols there-
to. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 26, 2004 
Mr. ENGLISH (for himself, Mr. ENGEL, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, Mr. EMAN-
UEL, and Mr. SMITH of New Jersey) submitted the following resolution; 
which was referred to the Committee on International Relations 
RESOLUTION 
Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that 
the Senate should give its advice and consent to ratifica-
tion 
of 
the 
United 
Nations 
Convention 
Against 
Transnational Organized Crime and certain Protocols 
thereto. 
Whereas every year approximately 700,000 individuals, most 
of them women and children, are traded by criminal or-
ganizations for purposes of slavery or sexual or 
pedophiliac exploitation; 
Whereas victims of trafficking in persons are abducted as a 
result of force, deception, or abuse of vulnerability, 
robbed of identity papers, and deluded as to the destina-
tion of their journey;
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Whereas victims of trafficking in persons are often powerless 
and the poorest, socially marginalized members of soci-
ety; 
Whereas trafficking in persons is a grave violation of human 
rights because its victims are stripped of human dignity 
and autonomy and treated as instruments in the gain of 
illicit revenues; 
Whereas trafficking in persons is caused by many factors, in-
cluding corruption and the demand for work abroad— 
often a result of poverty, underdevelopment, and high un-
employment; 
Whereas trafficking in persons is a 21st century form of slav-
ery with its negative implications for the global commu-
nity, including national and international organized crime 
which threatens sustainable development and the rule of 
law, a rise in corruption through continuous illicit profits, 
increased funding for terrorist organizations, and the 
spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS; 
Whereas on December 13, 2000, the United States became 
a signatory to the United Nations Convention Against 
Transnational Organized Crime (adopted by the United 
Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/25 of Novem-
ber 15, 2000), the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and 
Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and 
Children (supplementing such Convention and contained 
in Annex II of Resolution 55/25), and the Protocol 
Against Smuggling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air 
(supplementing such Convention and contained in Annex 
III of Resolution 55/25); and 
Whereas to date the United Nations Convention Against 
Transnational Organized Crime, the Protocol to Prevent,
•HRES 541 IH 
Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially 
Women and Children, and the Protocol Against Smug-
gling of Migrants by Land, Sea and Air have not entered 
into force with respect to the United States: Now, there-
fore, be it 
Resolved, 
That it is the sense of the House of Representatives that, 
as soon as possible after the date of the adoption of this 
resolution, the Senate should give its advice and consent 
to ratification of the United Nations Convention Against 
Transnational Organized Crime (adopted by the United 
Nations General Assembly in Resolution 55/25 of Novem-
ber 15, 2000), the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Pun-
ish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Chil-
dren (supplementing such Convention and contained in 
Annex II of Resolution 55/25), and the Protocol Against 
Smuggling 
of 
Migrants 
by 
Land, 
Sea 
and 
Air 
(supplementing such Convention and contained in Annex 
III of Resolution 55/25), in accordance with Article II, 
section 2, clause 2 of the Constitution. 
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