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The story of Kumar, a freed slave. ABOLITION SENATOR POSTCARDS | Download PDF
Ask Congress to abolish slavery in our lifetime. Download a postcard and ask your Senator to become an “Abolition Senator.”  IJM Vice President of Government Relations Holly Burkhalter testifying before a Senate hearing on human trafficking. Senate Judiciary Committee Acts on Trafficking Victims Legislation: July 31, 2008: The Senate Judiciary Committee today took up the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), otherwise known as S.3061. IJM applauds the bill’s principal sponsors, Senator Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Judiciary Committee ranking Republican, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA). The strong 17-2 vote in favor of the landmark measure now puts the TVPRA on a path to full consideration in the Senate. Once it is approved by the full Senate, a Conference Committee of Representatives and Senators will be appointed to iron out the differences. The compromise that emerges will have to be re-approved in both House and Senate for the TVPA reauthorization to become law. Eight years ago a bipartisan majority of the United States House and Senate passed landmark human rights legislation, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. This new legislation established the State Department Trafficking in Persons office, provided protection and assistance for trafficking victims in the U.S., provided funding for NGOs working overseas to combat slavery and trafficking, and placed conditions on certain forms of U.S. assistance to foreign governments to encourage prevention, protection, and prosecution of perpetrators of slavery and trafficking. Congress reauthorizes the TVPA every two years; the House of Representatives passed the renewal measure on December 4, 2007. International Justice Mission strongly supports both the House and Senate versions of the TVPA. Both include important reforms relating to visas and services for victims of trafficking in the U.S., increased protection for victims trafficked by foreign diplomats serving in the United States, and improvements in the diplomatic tools for addressing trafficking and slavery internationally. The House-passed bill includes an important section on forced labor trafficking into the U.S. that IJM hopes is accepted by the Senate when the bill is considered in Conference. The current session of Congress is very short, given the Democratic and Republican national conventions this summer, the lengthy August recess, and expected adjournment in early October. It is vitally important that Senate leadership move the bill S.3061 to the floor quickly so that TVPA Reauthorization can be completed before Congress leaves for the elections. IJM encourages you to write to your Senators to express support for the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, or S.3061, and to urge them to move forward on the measure as quickly as possible. To identify your Senator and contact them by email, please go to the Senate website, www.senate.gov. Once you have located your state’s two senators, you can contact them directly through the site. If you prefer to write a letter, address and fax numbers can be found at the same site. Talking points follow:
IJM also encourages those who live in the States of Senators who supported S.3061 during the Judiciary Committee vote on July 31st, 2008 to write and thank them for their support of this important human rights legislation. Vermont – Senator Patrick Leahy Illinois – Senator Richard Durbin New York – Senator Charles Schumer Massachusetts – Senator Edward Kennedy Wisconsin – Senator Russ Feingold and Senator Herbert Kohl California – Senator Dianne Feinstein Delaware – Senator Joe Biden Rhode Island – Senator Sheldon Whitehouse Maryland – Senator Ben Cardin Pennsylvania – Senator Arlen Specter Utah – Senator Orrin Hatch Iowa – Senator Charles Grassley Oklahoma – Senator Tom Coburn Texas – Senator John Cornyn Kansas – Senator Sam Brownback South Carolina – Senator Lindsey Graham |
