NAACP Opposes Modern Day Slavery and Human Trafficking

WHEREAS, slavery still exists. Tens of millions of people are enslaved around the world in debt bondage, forced labor, child labor, sex trafficking, and other modern manifestations of this ancient scourge; and

WHEREAS, according to the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST), today there are more men, women and children enslaved than at any other time in history; and

WHEREAS, the NAACP, which was founded just over 45 years after the end of slavery in the United States, perhaps more than any organization, is sadly too familiar with the sins of slavery and its repercussions for generations to follow; and

WHEREAS, the United States government considers human trafficking to include all of the criminal conduct involved in forced labor and sex trafficking, essentially the conduct involved in reducing or holding someone in compelled service; and

WHEREAS, the current size and continued growth of the human trafficking industry is unacceptable; there are modern strategies to help end this serious problem, such as toll free hotlines and increased awareness; and

WHEREAS, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, a key tool in the United States' arsenal against modern day slavery, expired at the end of 2011, despite being enacted in 2000 with strong bipartisan support and reauthorized, again with strong bipartisan support, in 2003, 2005 and 2008.

THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports federal legislation to assist governmental, international and non-governmental agencies in their efforts to end modern day slavery and human trafficking; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports legislation to better enable State child welfare agencies to prevent human trafficking of children and serve the needs of children who are victims of human trafficking; to require companies to include in their annual reports to the Securities and Exchange Commission a disclosure describing any measures the company has taken during the year to identify and address conditions of forced labor, slavery, human trafficking, and the worst forms of child labor within the company's supply chains; and to prevent human trafficking in government contracting; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP supports the immediate reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and calls on Congress to provide sufficient funding in fiscal year 2013 for programs that work to combat the growing problem of human trafficking and slavery; and

BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the NAACP reaffirms its 2009 Resolution on Slavery to urge the United States Department of State and the Department of Justice to redouble its efforts to develop and implement a multi-faceted approach to fighting and eliminating slavery and human trafficking.