<h1 id="article-title" class="entry-title">Gridlock in Congress stalls anti-human trafficking bill</h1>
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<p class="author vcard">By <a rel="author" class="fn url" href="http://www.foxnews.com/archive/author/jonathan-serrie/index.html">Jonathan Serrie</a></p>
<p class="published updated dtstamp">Published October 02, 2012<span class="value-title" title="2012-10-02T12:29:44.000-0400"></span></p><p class="source-org vcard"><span class="org fn">FoxNews.com</span></p></div><br>
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<p>As many as 27 million people worldwide are victims of human
trafficking, including sex slavery, child prostitution and debt bondage,
according to State Department estimates. Now, partisan gridlock in
Congress jeopardizes efforts to help them.</p> <p>The Trafficking
Victims Protection Act (TVPA) enjoyed strong bipartisan support when
Congress passed it in 2000 and reauthorized it three times since. But
the latest effort has been on hold for more than a year.</p> <p>"If
Congress fails to renew this law, it's going to have a global impact,"
said Jesse Eaves, a senior policy advisor at World Vision, a Christian
humanitarian organization.</p> <p>The law imposes tough federal
penalties on traffickers and funds programs to detect, arrest and
prosecute them. It also supports services for victims of human
trafficking.</p> <p>According to advocates, the law is designed to be
updated every few years to adapt to the changing methods of traffickers.
And they warn if Congress fails to reauthorize the TVPA before the end
of the year, funding for law enforcement and victims' services could run
out next year.</p> <p>"This is not the time to play partisan games,"
Eaves said. "You do not play politics with slavery. This is not a right
or left issue. It's a right or wrong issue."</p> <p>According to
Congressional Quarterly, much of the current dispute is over women's
health issues. But supporters of the TVPA point out Republicans and
Democrats were able to achieve consensus four times in the past.</p> <p>"Those
issues have never really been at the forefront before," Eaves said.
"And the fact that they've been allowed to distract us from the task at
hand really speaks, again, to a failure of leadership on the part of
both parties."</p> <p>Ironically, the fight against human trafficking is
a cause social conservatives and liberal human rights advocates agree
on in general terms. But when it comes to Democrats and Republicans in
today's political climate, even agreement on areas of common concern can
be elusive.</p> <p>Gridlock over a law that once had the support of
strong Democrat and Republican majorities in Congress is just one
example of the increasing partisan brinkmanship in Washington. When
leaders of one party lose power, "they think they're only one issue, or
one election, away from becoming the majority again," said Merle Black, a
political science professor at Emory University. "So, there's no
incentive to compromise. We've got a political system right now where we
have two minority parties."</p></div>______________<br><br>Guess who: <br clear="all"><br>
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<div class="timestamp">October 1, 2012</div>
<h1>To Combat ‘Modern Slavery’</h1>
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<p><span class="emInfo"><a class="emAnchor" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/opinion/to-combat-modern-slavery.html?pagewanted=print#p[TmrTmn]" title="Link to 1st paragraph">¶</a></span>
Though much remains to be done, the Obama administration has begun
meaningful new initiatives against human trafficking — a worldwide
injustice that exposes more than 20 million poor and vulnerable
individuals, especially women and children, to exploitation and
degradation. The most notable of these is a strong executive order aimed
at ending human trafficking activities by government contractors and
subcontractors. </p>
<p><span class="emInfo"><a class="emAnchor" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/opinion/to-combat-modern-slavery.html?pagewanted=print#p[TosTnr]" title="Link to 2nd paragraph">¶</a></span>
<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/25/executive-order-strengthening-protections-against-trafficking-persons-fe">The order</a>,
signed by Mr. President Obama on Sept. 25, contains an array of simple
but potentially game-changing provisions that will help enforce the
government’s existing zero-tolerance policy. These new rules forbid all
contractors from charging new employees recruitment fees that often lead
to indebtedness to loan sharks, misleading employees about living
conditions and housing, denying access to passports or failing to pay
transportation costs so employees can return home. </p>
<p><span class="emInfo"><a class="emAnchor" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/opinion/to-combat-modern-slavery.html?pagewanted=print#p[TsbIwa]" title="Link to 3rd paragraph">¶</a></span>
This should be the first of several steps to bolster the attack on a scourge that Mr. Obama described as “modern slavery” in <a title="A transcript" href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2012/09/25/remarks-president-clinton-global-initiative">a passionate address on the issue last week at the Clinton Global Initiative</a>.
Among other things, Mr. Obama should put the weight of his office
behind a bipartisan bill in Congress, the End Trafficking in Government
Contracting Act. The bill would strengthen the administration’s
executive initiative by embedding into law safeguards against
substandard wages, abusive working conditions and sexual and labor
exploitation. It would also impose criminal penalties and create other
enforcement tools beyond the scope of an executive order. </p>
<p><span class="emInfo"><a class="emAnchor" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/opinion/to-combat-modern-slavery.html?pagewanted=print#p[TleTle]" title="Link to 4th paragraph">¶</a></span>
The legislation enjoys broad support among Republicans and Democrats in
both the House and the Senate, and its approval should be on the must-do
list for the lame-duck session following the election. </p>
<p><span class="emInfo"><a class="emAnchor" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/opinion/to-combat-modern-slavery.html?pagewanted=print#p[TlsIao]" title="Link to 5th paragraph">¶</a></span>
That list should also include another critical measure to fight
trafficking, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. This statute, which
also has significant bipartisan support, was enacted in 2000 and
reauthorized in 2003, 2005 and 2008. Central to the nation’s
anti-trafficking efforts, it aids in the prosecution of traffickers,
imposing stiff penalties. It also offers important services and benefits
to help victims rebuild their lives. </p>
<p class="emActive emReady"><span class="emHighlight"><span class="emInfo"><a class="emAnchor" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/opinion/to-combat-modern-slavery.html?pagewanted=print#p[RtbIhi]" title="Link to 6th paragraph">¶</a></span>
Regrettably, <span style="color:rgb(255,0,0)"><font size="4"><b>the bill’s reauthorization has been stalled in the House by
political wrangling over a separate issue of victims’ reproductive
rights.</b></font></span></span> <span>Continued delay on this bill would hurt victims and send a terrible message to the world.</span> <span>If he is re-elected, President Obama will have the enhanced political muscle he will need to break the logjam</span>.</p>
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