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House Committee on Foreign Affairs Passes Amendment to Trafficking Act

On Thursday, the House Committee on Foreign Affairs voted to pass an amendment as part of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act that would “encourage companies with over $100 million in gross global receipts to post on their websites what policies they have in place to ensure their supply chains are free of slavery and human trafficking.” Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney, co-chair of the Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus, authored the legislation, which she indicated will both help customers to make better informed decisions and encourage businesses to adopt practices to reduce human trafficking.

Representative Maloney stated, “Thousands of trafficking victims are held in deplorable conditions throughout the world. The bipartisan TVPRA has dramatically strengthened our efforts to fight human trafficking, giving prosecutors the tools they needed to hold traffickers accountable while providing a helpful hand to victims as well. My amendment would help raise awareness for consumers who want to know where and how their goods are being made.  Like most Americans, I want to know that the clothes I wear don’t come from cotton picked by slaves and the hotel room I stay in wasn’t cleaned by a victim of trafficking…We must use every means available to help the men, women, and children around the world who are victims of slavery in the 21st Century.”

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act, which enhances measures to combat trafficking in persons, became law in 2000. This year, Representatives Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Howard Berman (D-CA) introduced the reauthorization, with Representative Maloney co-sponsoring the legislation.

Statement of Carolyn Maloney 10/6/11; Feminist Daily Newswire 12/12/08

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