We thank the 8th
Day Center for Justice for this Alert.
NATIONAL HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS DAY
JANUARY 11, 2008
January 11, 2008 is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, the first
time to be observed in the US on a national level. The Senate
resolution for this day of observance was first proposed by Senators
Dianne Feinstein (D- California), John Cornyn (R- Texas), Barack Obama
(D- Illinois), and Dick Lugar (R- Indiana). The resolution was passed
by the Senate on June 27, 2007.
According to Human Trafficking Watch, human trafficking is modern day
slavery. “It is the use of force, fraud, or coercion to make people do
things they don’t want to do. Men, women, and children are all affected
by this crime; they are enslaved throughout the world for labor or as
sex slaves. Organizations believe that millions of people are affected
by human trafficking, although no one knows for sure. No country is
immune from human trafficking. In the United States, thousands of
trafficked individuals live where we live. If you see, or know, anyone
who is:
- Always accompanied by another person who seems controlling
- Showing signs of physical or psychological abuse
- Submissive or fearful
- Not able to communicate due to language barriers
- Does not have any identification (From: Human Trafficking Watch)
Please call the Department of Justice Human Trafficking Hotline at
1-888-428-7581.
On a systemic level, we see human trafficking becoming more prevalent
due to migration and economic issues. In countries with weak economies
and/or extreme poverty, people must migrate to other countries. These
very people become victimized by others who want to employ them for
nefarious reasons. As advocates of peace and justice, it is our duty to
become more informed of this scourge of humanity.
ACTIONS
1.
Subscribe to or
read back issues of “Stop Trafficking” through the following website
sponsored by the Sisters of the Divine Savior:
http://homepage.mac.com/srjeanschafersds/stoptraffic/index.html
You can also visit their
website:
http://www.sdssisters.org/slavery/action.htm for further actions.
2.
Find out if your
state has an anti-human trafficking law. If your state does not have
laws that protect people against trafficking, then write to your
congress people about having that changed.
3.
Learn more about
global initiatives to fight human trafficking at
http://www.ungift.org/
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