ATEST Applauds Senate Foreign Relations Committee Passage of International Provisions of Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017
The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) welcomes the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017 (S.1848) by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. We are grateful to Senators Bob Corker (R-TN), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Marco Rubio (R-FL), Ben Cardin (D-MD), and the other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, for their hard work and dedication to craft legislation that strengthens the U.S. Government’s policies toward international trafficking in persons and forced labor.
The original Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 established the U.S. government’s anti-trafficking framework and has been reauthorized four times with strong bipartisan support. ATEST is encouraged that S.1848 strengthens the annual Trafficking in Persons Report, eliminates the use of recruitment fees in government contracting, promotes the integration of anti-trafficking analysis and activities into the work of multilateral development banks, and increases the authorized funding for combating trafficking and forced labor internationally.
ATEST urges the Senate to swiftly pass the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017, and we are eager to work with the champions of the TVPRA in the House and the Senate to enact a comprehensive, bipartisan package that improves the U.S. government’s policies on trafficking in persons and reauthorizes resources for domestic and international anti-trafficking efforts across the government.
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The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking 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. ATEST member organizations include: Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST), Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), ECPAT-USA, Free the Slaves, Futures Without Violence (FUTURES), International Justice Mission, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), National Network for Youth (NN4Y), Polaris, Safe Horizon, Solidarity Center, Verité, and Vital Voices Global Partnership. ATEST is a project of Humanity United and Humanity United Action. www.EndSlaveryandTrafficking.org