Legislation Document

SPONSOR:

Rep. Keeley & Rep. Baumbach & Rep. K. Williams on behalf of all Representatives & Sen. Hansen & Sen. Henry & Sen. Hocker & Sen. Richardson on behalf of all Senators

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

149th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 42

RECOGNIZING THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2018 AS "HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH" IN DELAWARE.

WHEREAS, human trafficking takes many forms, including forced marriage, forced labor, debt bondage, forced commercial sexual exploitation and involuntary domestic servitude; and

WHEREAS, it is projected that approximately 40 million people globally were victims of modern slavery at any given time in 2016; and

WHEREAS, of the 40 million people, approximately 20 million are forced into labor slavery, 5 million are subjected to sexual slavery, and 15 million are victims of forced marriage; and

WHEREAS, victims of human trafficking are disproportionately women and girls, accounting for 99% of those subjected to sexual slavery and 84% of those currently in a forced marriage; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that 60,000 individuals are currently victims of modern slavery in the United States; and

WHEREAS, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that 1 in 6 runaway children reported to their center were likely victims of forced sexual exploitation; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that human trafficking generates many billions of dollars of profit per year, second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime; and

WHEREAS, while state policymakers have made significant progress in bringing awareness to the issue of human trafficking in Delaware, more needs to be done to prevent human trafficking, identify victims and support them through trauma-informed approaches, and combat the perpetrators of these crimes; and

WHEREAS, public awareness is essential to educating people about the signs and consequences of human trafficking and in order to bring an end to the injustice suffered by the victims of this crime;

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 149th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the members of the Delaware General Assembly hereby recognize the month of January, 2018 as "Human Trafficking Awareness Month" in order to bring awareness to the crime of human trafficking in this State.