Washington D.C., Oct 24, 2007 / 08:32 am
The House Foreign Affairs Committee has reauthorized the nation's first anti-trafficking law in what US Representative Chris Smith called “another step forward in our commitment to end this appalling form of modern-day slavery.”
Smith is the lead Republican cosponsor of the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2007, which was introduced by House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Tom Lantos (D-CA).
The bill reauthorizes funds for U.S. anti-trafficking programs and increases assistance to victims of trafficking in other countries. It also tightens penalties against governments that fail to meet minimum anti-trafficking standards, while enhancing protections for child victims of trafficking.
Representative Smith extolled the benefits of the legislation. “Since enactment of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the traffickers here and abroad are increasingly likely to face prosecution and conviction. According to the Department of Justice, domestic prosecutions for trafficking have increased by more than 300% under this legislation. Worldwide, nearly 6,000 traffickers were prosecuted last year, and more than 3,000 were convicted,” he said.