Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005
TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2005 -- (House of Representatives - December 14, 2005)
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Mr. MENENDEZ. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my dear friend and distinguished ranking member of the committee. It has been a privilege to serve with him under his leadership and all of my colleagues on the International Relations Committee. If I miss one thing, it will be those Members I have had close associations with in this body, but I continue to see in the days ahead.
I want to thank Congressman Smith for his leadership on this issue. I am proud that someone from my home State of New Jersey has dedicated himself to ending trafficking of people around the world. I want to thank all of my other colleagues collectively because of their leadership, countries around the world have been forced to change their laws and improve enforcement.
All of us know the shocking statistics: somewhere between 600 and 800 people per year are forced across borders to become slaves and prostitutes. If we include those who are trafficked within their own countries, the numbers are even worse, somewhere between 2 and 4 million people. The vast majority of these are women and girls. So as we fight to end trafficking, we are also fighting for the rights of women and girls around the world.
It is easy to forget that each of those numbers represents a person, a daughter, a sister, a mother, or a son who is suffering. It is easy to forget that each of these people is part of a family that has been torn apart by trafficking, and it is easy to forget that the number of individuals trafficked hides the even greater number of families around the world devastated by trafficking.
I am proud to be a cosponsor and strong supporter of this legislation which reauthorizes programs designed to attack trafficking both here at home and abroad. And in particular, the legislation addresses issues of trafficking after natural disasters in postconflict areas.
As we learned after the devastating tsunami in the Indian Ocean, children are among the most vulnerable victims after any disaster and conflict. If there are no adults to protect them and take care of them, these children become particularly susceptible to disease, hunger, and exploitation. In the chaotic environment following a disaster, when normal protection mechanisms may be disrupted, unaccompanied children are more exposed to traffickers; and that is why I strongly support the new focus in this legislation on postconflict and postdisaster areas.
But this law is not only designed to stop trafficking. It is also designed to take care of the victims of trafficking. I cannot imagine the pain that someone goes through after being taken away from their family, their country, and their life. I cannot imagine how it feels to be forced into slavery or prostitution, but I do know that we can and we must take action to help these victims as they once again return to their lives.
The pilot programs authorized in this legislation are designed to provide a safe haven and rehabilitation for the victims of trafficking. We must ensure their success so we can eventually expand them in future pieces of legislation.
Finally, I want to focus our attention on the countries of our own hemisphere. I am deeply concerned to see that five of the 14 tier 3 countries designated by the State Department are from Latin America or the Caribbean. These are the countries that are designated as the worse violators. They are not even complying with the minimum standards to eliminate trafficking. Even worse, they are not making a significant effort to be able to change the course of events. So I hope that this legislation will have our own hemisphere focused on what they must do to stop the hurting and trafficking of their own people.
Finally, I would remind my colleagues of article 5 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states: ``No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.'' This legislation takes those words and turns them into action. I urge all Members to support this important legislation.
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