Alliance to End Slavery & Trafficking Voices Support for End Modern Slavery Initiative Act
For Release: February 26, 2015
Contact: Liz Baker, [email protected], +1 202 503 3221
Washington, DC—The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking, a U.S.-based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end all forms of human trafficking worldwide, today announced its support for the End Modern Slavery Initiative Act introduced by Senator Bob Corker (R-Tenn), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
This bipartisan legislation seeks to authorize the creation of a non-profit grant-making foundation working to leverage $1.5 billion from the U.S. government, foreign donor governments, and the private sector. The foundation would fund programs with a measurable impact in reducing the prevalence of modern slavery.
“The U.S. Government has a long history of funding domestic and international programs that combat modern slavery,” said Melysa Sperber, Director of ATEST. “The End Modern Slavery Initiative Act is a significant step forward to eradicating this heinous crime.”
Other members of ATEST also voiced their support:
“The resources devoted by governments and the private sector to fighting human trafficking pale in comparison to the severity of the problem. The End Modern Slavery Initiative promises to create new momentum by attracting significant new resources, within a framework that creates accountability for real results,” said Karen Stauss, Director of Programs at Free the Slaves.
“This legislation, and the critical funding that comes with it, sets a new bar for US leadership to combat slavery,” said Holly Burkhalter, Vice President of Government Relations for International Justice Mission. “With traffickers hauling in $150 billion in profits every year, and the US government—the largest donor in the anti-slavery field—spending just a minute fraction of the foreign aid budget on efforts to curtail human trafficking, we have not been engaging in a fair fight. That is about to change.”
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About ATEST
The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) is a U.S.-based coalition that advocates for solutions to prevent and end all forms of human trafficking and modern slavery around the world. We advocate for lasting solutions to prevent labor and sex trafficking, hold perpetrators accountable, ensure justice for victims and empower survivors with tools for recovery.