Advocacy Community Aligns to Advance FY13 Federal Funding for Anti-Trafficking Program

For Release: March 21, 2012

More than 100 groups joined the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) on five letters addressed to Congressional leadership in support of federal funding for anti-trafficking programs targeted to the following House and Senate Appropriations subcommittees: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS); Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies (CJS); State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS); Homeland Security (DHS); and Financial Services and General Government (FSGG).

Specific requests included funding for better documentation and deterrance of the trafficking problem, victim services, support for law enforcement, including training, salaries and prosecution of trafficking cases, international interventions targeting prevention, and report language addressing the need for the establishment of protocols in federal procurement programs to combat human trafficking and modern-day slavery as it pertains to retailers’ supply chains.

ATEST held a national call earlier in the month on March 12th with anti-trafficking organizations to discuss the urgency in action as it pertains to the federal FY13 appropriations process due to expedited time frames by Congress. The call was attended by over 90 participants and a transcript of the call is available here.