Legislation Document

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

WHEREAS, Human Trafficking is the second largest and fastest growing criminal industry in the world; and

WHEREAS, Human Trafficking generates more than 10 billion dollars just in the United States annually; and

WHEREAS, there has been an 84% increase in persons prosecuted for Human Trafficking offenses since 2011 in the United States; and

WHEREAS, since 2020, there has been an 125% increase of recruitment into Human Trafficking through Facebook and a 95% increase of recruitment on Instagram; and

WHEREAS, every 2 minutes a child is trafficked in the United States; and

WHEREAS, there are over 300,000 children in the United States that are at high risk of being trafficked every day; and

WHEREAS, 60% of trafficked children are in or were in the foster care system at some point; and

WHEREAS, the average age of a trafficked child is 12 years old, from the date of the first incident, their average life span is just 7 years; and

WHEREAS, over 50% of Child Trafficking Victims are recruited and victimized by direct family members and friends; and

WHEREAS, almost 300,000 children were legally married in the United States from 2000-2018, some of these children were as young as 10 years old; and

WHEREAS, 96% of victims of police reported Human Trafficking are woman and girls, and 81% of persons accused of Human Trafficking are male; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that in 2021 there were 1.1 million people living in modern day slavery conditions within the United States; and

WHEREAS, the United States is one of the largest consumers of goods at risk of being produced through forced labor, importing more than $144 Billion dollars’ worth of goods per year; and

WHEREAS, the United States Department of Labor has identified 148 goods from 76 countries made by forced and child labor; and

WHEREAS, there have been many efforts made by non-profits to assist in combatting and educating the public on Human Trafficking; and

WHEREAS, in 2023 Zoe Ministries, completed 70 various community trainings on Human Trafficking with a total of over 1,335 attendees and they are actively working to open Delaware’s first and only residential home for girls who have been trafficked; and

WHEREAS, between 2021-2023, Salvation Army of Delaware has provided training for 3,179 persons within our communities by hosting 55 Human Trafficking Trainings/presentations. They have served 117 clients in the past 3 years and served an additional 433 individuals that were vulnerable to being trafficked; and

WHEREAS, in 2023 Meet Me at the Well served 62 victims or potential victims of Human Trafficking. They work to address needs such as unstable housing, substance abuse, low income, and access to mental health services; 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; and

WHEREAS, Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council will continue to bring together all stakeholders with the same passion and goal to eradicate Human Trafficking activities in Delaware including community partners, service providers, various levels of law enforcement, Department of Justice and policy level officials.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 152nd 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 2024 as "Human Trafficking Awareness Month" in order to bring awareness to the crime of Human Trafficking in this State.