December 1, 2009

D.C. Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation -  Mark Up Scheduled for February - Your Comments are Needed!

Washington DC is a top destinations for human traffickers in the country.  Victims include U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who are forced or coerced to provide labor, from domestic servitude to labor operations to various service industries; or commercial sex in hotels, brothels, and on the street.  Victims face a horrific life with little hope of escape in which they are repeatedly threatened, beaten, raped, isolated, psychologically abused, or subjected to debt bondage.  These crimes are committed for one reason: the financial profit of traffickers. While the details of each case are unique, please consider these two typical examples of human trafficking, adapted from real cases in Washington D.C.

Washington D.C. lacks laws to adequately cover cases like these, but with your help legislation now under consideration will change this.  The Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Act of 2009 (number 18-70) would create the crime of human trafficking, covering both labor and sex trafficking, with appropriately severe penalties.  It would provide crucial assistance to victims, including access to a victim advocate to develop a safety plan, easier access to Crime Victims’ Compensation and it would allow civil cases to be brought by a victim against his/her trafficker.  It would also require the District to collect and publish statistical data on trafficking to better equip authorities and the public to respond to the crime. In addition, the bill criminalizes the possession of child pornography.

Polaris Project and its partnering anti-human trafficking organizations are strongly advocating for an amendment that would require certain establishments in the city to post signage stating that human trafficking is against the law and that if help or assistance is needed to call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 888-3737-888.  This Hotline can provide vital assistance to victims, tipsters, law enforcement and the general public about human trafficking, including assistance to victims and training on how to look beneath the surface of everyday situations to identify this hidden crime.

This legislation will help end human trafficking in D.C. and help victims - but your voice is needed to ensure that legislators support it - so please take action!

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

D.C. Council Member Phil Mendelson, sponsor of the Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Act of 2009 (Bill 18-70), held a public hearing on July 6th.  While the hearing was well attended, we must continue to show our support as the bill heads for mark up in February.    Please follow the easy guidelines below to send a message to Council Members and if you need additional information, please This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it   You don't have to be an expert or have experience to submit comments, and you can follow these basic guidelines:

1. Send your comments to: Lisa Abrams, Legislative Council, Room 5, Wilson Buildingg, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20004 or by email to: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
2. In the subject line type:  Please Support the Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Act
3. In the body of your email: Address your comments to the Members of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary.  Then clearly state your position on the bill (restate the name of it), and provide a reason or two for why you want the members of the committee to vote yes. Talking points and background information are below for your use. 
4. Be sure to include your name and address - legislators are responsive to voter requests, so including your name and address is imperative.

          Mark up is the meeting inwhich the bill and all potential amendments will be considered by the committee.

Background Information and Talking Points

• Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Act of 2009 Summary by Polaris Project 
• Up to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the U.S. every year, amid even higher numbers of potential U.S. citizen victims and estimated 200,000 American children are at high risk of being trafficked into the sex industry.
• Current D.C. law allows modern slave traffickers to get light sentences, which fail to match the severity of their crimes, and even escape punishment completely.  These lax laws provide fertile ground to traffickers.
• The majority of states have passed human trafficking laws, and in 2009 both Maryland and Virginia enacted stronger legislation in their jurisdiction.  It is time for D.C. to act.
• The public and law enforcement must be educated about human trafficking and what to do about it when they find it.  Encourage your council member to mandate posting of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline in establishments throughout the city. 

Thank you for taking action to help stop human trafficking!

Two case studies from Washington, D.C.:

Jenny, a fourteen-year old girl, has been severely neglected at home and she turns to the streets of D.C. for a sense of belonging.  She meets an older man who tells her that she’s beautiful and he loves her and will take care of her.  She moves in to his apartment and starts skipping school on a regular basis.  Once she’s become emotionally dependent on him, he introduces her to the life of prostitution and tells her that she must make money this way, to contribute to the relationship.  He tells her she should make $1,000 per night.  On her second night out, she feels sick and tired and wants to come home after one “date” – he then tells her she can’t return until she’s earned “his” money.  Jenny believes his promises that one day they will quit this life and he will marry her.  She’s seen him hit another girl he controls when she didn’t follow his orders, and she decides her only choice is to put up with the life and continue to make “his” money.  She starts drinking and taking drugs in order to deaden the pain. 

Anna is brought to the U.S. from West Africa by a diplomat who arranged her visa and travel, and made promises that she would be able to go to school and have a job that would allow her to support her family back home.  Once at his luxurious home, she is forced to work long hours.  She sleeps on the utility room floor, is fed only scraps of food, and is prohibited from going outside, using the phone, writing letters, or speaking with anyone outside the diplomat’s family.  The woman of the house beats Anna and the man sexually assaults her. The family takes away her passport and gives her no money, although they claim to be sending money back home to her family.  They also imply that her family back home will be held accountable if she does not work harder, and tell her that the police will punish her if she tries to leave. Unable to speak English and completely unfamiliar with the U.S., Anna is trapped. 

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