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Congress Sends Strong Message with
Passage of Trafficking Victims Protection Act
Funds will help combat exploitation of women,
children, and immigrants. |
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From our friends at the
Coalition
for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA)
JANUARY 7, 2009 |
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The
Coalition for Humane Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles (CHIRLA) celebrates
the passage in Congress of the
William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Act (Public Law
No. 110-457), which the president signed into law on Dec. 23, 2008.
The House of Representatives bill (HR7311) proposed $7.5 million for
victim assistance, and it increases the focus on combating trafficking
in children. The legislation also includes provisions to make it
easier for victims to remain in the U.S.
“In addition to increasing penalties for human traffickers, HR7311
appropriates funding for outreach and education efforts to help
communities, including foreign governments, identify and combat human
trafficking,” remarked Cynthia Buiza, director of policy and programs at
CHIRLA. “It is important that we see human trafficking as a
shameful act of violence against vulnerable communities, including
women, children, and immigrants.”
Although accurate figures on human trafficking are difficult to obtain,
tougher enforcement measures at the U.S.-Mexico border and involvement
by organized crime have forced more migrants crossing the border to seek
help from “coyotes,” who often treat them as premium merchandise similar
to narcotics. The increasing number of rapes, beatings,
kidnappings, extortions and other human rights violations go beyond
“people smuggling,” with many fatal results. Unfortunately,
current laws do not recognize these crimes as trafficking, because it is
widely believed that border-crossing crimes are the result of a willing
transaction initiated by the migrant.
“The migrant corridor from Latin America and Asia is a trail of
shattered dreams for many migrants who end up as victims of unscrupulous
smugglers. Whether these heinous crimes occur in Cambodia,
Guatemala, Mexico, or downtown Los Angeles, awareness in the general
public is one of the most important tools we have to combat these acts,”
said Jorge-Mario Cabrera, director of education at CHIRLA. He
added, “Existing laws must be responsive to changing times and make
available funding and legal relief to all victims of trafficking,
especially in immigrant communities.”
According to federal officials, Los Angeles has one of the lowest rates
of trafficking reporting and convictions of any large U.S. city.
Domestic and foreign trafficking may involve sex work, forced marriage,
domestic servitude, forced labor, and sales involving children, women,
and men.
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New Trafficking
Law Helps Protect
Vulnerable Children |
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From our friends at
Lutheran
Immigration and Refugee Service
DECEMBER 11, 2008 |
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BALTIMORE - Last night the U.S. House of
Representatives and Senate passed the
William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act
of 2008 (TVPRA), H.R. 7311, putting before President Bush a landmark
opportunity to protect thousands of trafficking victims. [The
president signed the act into law on Dec. 23, 2008.] Lutheran
Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) applauds the passage of this
bill, which includes long-sought reforms to aid and protect vulnerable
immigrant children.
Every year thousands of foreign-born children arrive in the United
States with no adult to accompany them. Among those taken into federal
custody to undergo immigration processing, many have been trafficked,
persecuted in their home countries, or subjected to domestic violence,
abuse, and neglect.
"In a country as great as the United States we must ensure that children
are treated humanely and in accord with national and international
standards, especially when so many have experienced shocking violence
and abuse," said LIRS President Ralston H. Deffenbaugh Jr.
The TVPRA sets new standards for how children will be treated in
custody, the kind of mental health and other services they will receive,
and the conditions under which they can be sent home. "This law makes
clear the joint responsibility of all federal agencies to be sure these
children are safe," said LIRS Vice President for Protection Susan
Krehbiel. "For the first time, federal officials will be required to
follow child welfare principles, including the 'best interests of the
child' standard, when making decisions about their care and their
return."
The TVPRA will assist in the identification and protection of
trafficking survivors and those who are eligible for asylum and other
forms of immigration relief. The bill will help ensure that more
trafficked children receive protection and critical services.
"LIRS is grateful to sponsors of the trafficking bill, Sen. Joe Biden
(D-DE), Rep. Berman (D-CA) and the late Rep. Tom Lantos (D-CA)," said
LIRS Director for Legislative Affairs Gregory Chen. "We extend our
deepest appreciation to Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) and Rep. Zoe
Lofgren (D-CA), who have worked tirelessly for eight years to pass
legislation that protects vulnerable unaccompanied children. Without
their efforts, these critical reforms would never have become a
reality."
For three decades LIRS has resettled unaccompanied refugee children,
administered foster care for trafficked youth and provided services to
minors in federal immigration custody. LIRS is a cooperative agency of
the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Lutheran Church-Missouri
Synod and the Latvian Evangelical Lutheran in America.
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