•HRES 209 IH 
Whereas the Declaration of Independence recognizes the in-
herent dignity and worth of all people, and states that all 
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 ser-
vitude; 
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 Slav-
ery Convention, the 1956 Supplementary Convention on 
the Abolition of Slavery, the Slave Trade, and Institu-
tions and Practices Similar to Slavery, the 1948 Amer-
ican Declaration on the Rights and Duties of Man, the 
1957 Abolition of Forced Labor Convention, the Inter-
national 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 univer-
sally 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 vio-
lence, and by the use of economic exploitation by one per-
son against another; 
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•HRES 209 IH 
Whereas slavery has dramatically increased worldwide in the 
past 50 years due, in part, to the tripling of the popu-
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 in-
creased 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 impu-
nity even where slavery is nominally illegal; 
Whereas slavery thrives in situations of conflict, social disrup-
tion, political chaos, and economic crisis; 
Whereas the traffic in human beings is third only to the traf-
fic in drugs and weapons in generating profits for orga-
nized crime worldwide; 
Whereas between 800,000 and 900,000 of the world’s slaves 
are estimated to be trafficked across international bor-
ders 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 nearly every country and that slavery affects 
those—especially women and children—who are most vul-
nerable 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 ap-
proach for its eradication and increased public education 
for all citizens; 
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•HRES 209 IH 
Whereas goods made by slaves feed into the global economy 
and enter the markets of the United States in violation 
of United States laws; 
Whereas Free the Slaves, labor organizations, consumer orga-
nizations, and United States industry, working with 
Members of Congress, have developed a multi-sector ap-
proach 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, in September 2006, the United States levied sanc-
tions on Burma, Cuba, Democratic People’s Republic of 
Korea, Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and Zimbabwe for failing 
to meet the minimum standards for combating human 
trafficking as outlined in the Trafficking Victims Protec-
tion Act of 2000, and named Saudi Arabia, Sudan, and 
Uzbekistan as 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 Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has supported 
educational programs for local law enforcement agents to 
recognize incidents of human trafficking and slavery 
when they encounter it: Now, therefore, be it 
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•HRES 209 IH 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) supports the goals and ideals of Anti-Slav-
ery Day; 
(2) requests that the President issue a procla-
mation calling on the people of the United States to 
observe Anti-Slavery Day with appropriate cere-
monies, programs, and activities; and 
(3) encourages the Secretary of State to in-
crease collaboration with foreign governments to 
combat slavery, punish human traffickers and 
slaveholders, and provide social services to assist in 
rehabilitation, family reunification, attaining sus-
tainable freedom, and preventing slavery from occur-
ring. 
Æ 
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