Rep. Carolyn Maloney Statement on President Obama’s Address on Human Trafficking

New York, NY – Congresswoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-Manhattan, Queens), author of the End Demand for Sex Trafficking Act of 2010, released the following statement about President Barack Obama’s address on trafficking at the Clinton Global Initiative annual meeting in midtown Manhattan:

“The Clinton Global Initiative’s annual meeting is dedicated to commitment to improving the world around us, and in that spirit, President Obama’s remarks on trafficking demonstrate a profound commitment to combating human trafficking, a modern day form of slavery.

“Tragically, trafficking is still a cruel, brutal, widespread and inescapable reality that dominates the live of millions. And the practice of enslaving children in sexual trafficking represents the worst of the worst.

“As President Obama said in his speech, somewhere tonight a young girl is crying herself to sleep in a brothel.

“As UNICEF reports, across the world there are over one million children entering the sex trade every year. Experts estimate that 100,000 to 300,000 children in the United States are exploited through prostitution.

“This must – and will – be stopped.

“So President Obama’s speech today and his Executive Order should be applauded.

“This wasn’t just a speech; it signaled the advancing of our commitment to helping the lives of millions.  

“The President has announced a multi-pronged, multi-faceted, multi-agency initiative that is designed to exert a real and measurable impact, and in so doing, has strengthened the existing zero-tolerance for  human trafficking policy in government contracting for all federal contractors and subcontractors. Since the U.S. government is the largest purchaser in the world of goods and services, this will exert a real impact.

“The initiatives he enunciated today include:

•    Increased resources for victims of human trafficking;

•    A global business coalition against trafficking that will use a business-to-business network to mobilize its members to fight trafficking;

•    Additional training for police and border patrol officers, customs officials, prosecutors, and the entire range of law enforcement authorities involved in fighting trafficking;

•    A renewed commitment to protecting victims;

•    New public-private partnerships;

•    The launch of a “Counter-Trafficking in Persons Campus Challenge” to harness the energy and to raise awareness of college students and to inspire activism; and

•    The creation of a “Made in a Free World” initiative to help buyers and suppliers identify and eliminate vulnerabilities in the supply chain, using resources like the ‘slaveryfootprint.org’ website.

“The President’s new effort will help to enforce, educate and enlighten. It will help to break the chains. And it will ensure that taxpayer dollars do not help – directly or indirectly – in the enslavement of the innocent.

“This was a good day for humanity.”