The Trade, Africa, AIDS and Debt (TAAD) issue
group of 8th Day Center for Justice wants to bring
to your attention action for National Human Trafficking Day
NATIONAL HUMAN
TRAFFICKING AWARENESS DAY
JANUARY 11, 2008
January 11, 2008 is National Human Trafficking
Awareness Day, the first time to be observed in the
US on a national level. The Senate resolution for this day of
observance was first proposed by
Senators Dianne Feinstein (D- California), John Cornyn (R- Texas),
Barack Obama (D- Illinois), and
Dick Lugar (R- Indiana). The resolution was passed by the Senate
on June 27, 2007.
According to Human Trafficking Watch, human trafficking is modern day
slavery. “It is the use of
force, fraud, or coercion to make people do things they don’t want to
do. Men, women, and children
are all affected by this crime; they are enslaved throughout the world
for labor or as sex slaves.
Organizations believe that millions of people are affected by human
trafficking, although no one knows
for sure. No country is immune from human trafficking. In
the United States, thousands of trafficked
individuals live where we live. If you see, or know, anyone who
is:
- Always accompanied by another person who seems controlling
- Showing signs of physical or psychological abuse
- Submissive or fearful
- Not able to communicate due to language barriers
- Does not have any identification (From: Human Trafficking Watch)
Please call the Department of Justice Human Trafficking Hotline at
1-888-428-7581.
On a systemic level, we see human trafficking becoming more prevalent
due to migration and economic
issues. In countries with weak economies and/or extreme poverty,
people must migrate to other
countries. These very people become victimized by others who want
to employ them for nefarious
reasons. As advocates of peace and justice, it is our duty to
become more informed of this scourge of
humanity.
ACTIONS
1. Subscribe to or read back issues of “Stop Trafficking” through the
following website sponsored by
the Sisters of the Divine Savior: http://homepage.mac.com/srjeanschafersds/stoptraffic/index.html
You can also visit their website: http://www.sdssisters.org/slavery/action.htm
for further actions.
2. Find out if your state has an anti-human trafficking law. If
your state does not have laws that protect
people against trafficking, then write to your congress people about
having that changed.
3. Learn more about global initiatives to fight human trafficking at http://www.ungift.org/