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“SENATE RESOLUTION 48--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS” mentioning the U.S. Dept of State was published in the Senate section on pages S1307-S1308 on Feb. 10, 2005.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
SENATE RESOLUTION 48--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING
TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS
Mr. LUGAR submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:
S. Res. 48
Whereas an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked annually;
Whereas approximately 70 percent of trafficked persons are female and 50 percent are children;
Whereas approximately 250,000 people are trafficked in, out, and through the South East Asia region each year;
Whereas the tsunami that struck South East Asia, South Asia, and East Africa on December 26, 2004, killed more than 160,000 people, affected 5,000,000 people, and left an estimated 35,000 children orphaned;
Whereas these orphaned children are particularly vulnerable to being trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labor, or to be child soldiers;
Whereas governments of countries affected by the earthquake and tsunami in the Indian Ocean have taken measures to prevent the trafficking of children and other vulnerable persons;
Whereas President Susilo Bambang Yudhyono of Indonesia has ordered that immigration and police officers not allow children from Aceh to be removed from the country;
Whereas Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi of Malaysia undertook measures to prevent child trafficking by directing immigration enforcement officials at entry points in Malaysia to be on the alert for child trafficking and by imposing a temporary ban on the adoption of foreign children;
Whereas, in India, the State Government of Tamil Nadu opened shelters to protect orphaned or separated children and pledged that it would provide orphans of the tsunami support and education;
Whereas the Royal Thai Government has placed all tsunami orphans in that country in the protective custody of extended family members and has awarded boarding school scholarships to children affected by the tsunami;
Whereas, in Sri Lanka, the National Child Protection Authority (NCPA), UNICEF, and nongovernmental organizations have mobilized teams to identify and register all children who have been separated from their immediate families;
Whereas the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime (hereafter in this resolution referred to as the ``Organized Crime Convention'') and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, a protocol to the Organized Crime Convention (hereafter in this resolution referred to as the ``Trafficking Protocol''), require countries to enact laws to criminalize trafficking in persons, punish traffickers, and assist victims;
Whereas the United States, on December 13, 2000, signed, but has not yet ratified, the Organized Crime Convention and the Trafficking Protocol;
Whereas ratification by the United States of the Organized Crime Convention and the Trafficking Protocol would enhance the ability of the United States Government to render and receive assistance on a global basis in the common struggle to prevent, investigate, and prosecute trafficking in persons; and
Whereas, like the United States, most countries affected by the tsunami disaster have signed, but not yet ratified, the Organized Crime Convention and the Trafficking Protocol: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that--
(1) combating trafficking in persons should continue to be a priority of United States foreign policy;
(2) the United States should ratify the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children;
(3) the President should commend the efforts of the governments of those countries affected by the December 26, 2004, tsunami to protect their children from the dangers of trafficking; and
(4) the President should urge all countries to ratify the United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children, particularly those countries that have been most affected by the tsunami and in which children face the resulting increased risk of being abducted and trafficked.
Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise to submit a resolution expressing the Sense of the Senate regarding the trafficking in children following the Asian tsunami.
The recent tsunami in the Indian Ocean region was a natural disaster unlike anything in recent human history. It is estimated that the tsunami claimed the lives of more than 160,000 people throughout the region and displaced more than 1 million.
This disaster has taken an incredible toll on children. The United Nations Children Fund, UNICEF, estimates that children comprise more than one-third of all deaths. Tens of thousands of children have lost family members and friends and are coping with unspeakable trauma. Nearly 35,000 children have been orphaned, and many more have been separated from their families. These children are in need of food, water, and shelter. They face the imminent threats of hunger, disease, and diarrhea.
In addition to these dangers, these children are also vulnerable to being trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labor, or to be child soldiers. According to the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the Department of State, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 people are trafficked every year, some 50 percent of whom are children. In South East Asia alone, nearly 250,000 people are trafficked in, out, and through the region. Without their families, the children orphaned by the tsunami lack protection from predators who would profit from their tragedy.
My resolution acknowledges this uniquely vulnerable group and urges the United States and other countries to ratify the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children and the underlying U.N. Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime. The Protocol requires countries to enact laws to criminalize trafficking in persons, punish traffickers and assist victims. In addition, the Protocol would enhance our ability to give and receive assistance on a global basis in the common struggle to prevent, investigate and prosecute trafficking.
On December 13, 2000, the United States signed these international agreements. Last June, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a hearing on these very important law enforcement treaties. At the earliest opportunity, I intend to schedule a vote on the Convention Against Transnational Organized Crime and the Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons at a business meeting of the Committee. By ratifying the Trafficking Protocol, and urging other countries to do the same, we would send a strong message to the world that this modern-day form of slavery must be stopped and that the United States is committed to ensuring that perpetrators are punished and that victims are helped.
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