Schiff Offers Legislation to Highlight Human Trafficking Abuses
Washington, D.C. – Today, Representative Adam Schiff introduced a bipartisan resolution that would express Congress’s commitment to raising awareness about human trafficking and doing more to end the abhorrent practice. It is estimated that 600,000 to 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Of these, approximately 80 percent are women and girls, and up to 50 percent are minors. This resolution was authored to bring about nationwide acknowledgment and awareness of this pernicious problem.
“Trafficking people is a form of modern-day slavery that is occurring with alarming frequency around the world,” said Schiff. “Congress needs to take more aggressive action to end this human tragedy that deprives thousands of the most basic human right – freedom.”
The U.S. is not immune to the problem of human trafficking. According to the Department of State, there may be as many as 100,000 to 200,000 people in the U.S. today working as modern slaves in homes, sweatshops, brothels, agricultural fields, construction projects and restaurants. It is estimated that of these, 15,000 to 100,000 are women and girls.
Globally, the International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that there are 12.3 million people in forced labor, bonded labor, forced child labor, and sexual servitude at any given time.
Human trafficking not only poses serious human rights issues but also represents a serious international security risk. Human trafficking fuels organized crime through the tremendous profits it generates, an estimated $9.5 billion in annual revenue according to the F.B.I.