RESOLUTION ON ELIMINATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING
WHEREAS, the International Labour Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million victims
of human trafficking worldwide, with hundreds of thousands of those victims living in the U.S.;
and
WHEREAS, the U.S. State Department estimates that up to 17,500 people are trafficked into
the U.S. each year, of which 80 percent are female and half are children; and
WHEREAS, victims of human trafficking live in fear and are often kept isolated, making them
unaware of their rights, powerless to access services, and afraid to ask for help from local law
enforcement; and
WHEREAS, the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitutional officially abolished and continues to
prohibit slavery in the U.S.; and
WHEREAS, the U.S. Congress passed the Trafficking Victims Protection Act in 2000—which
has become the cornerstone of Federal human trafficking legislation—establishing severe
penalties to those who engage in the trafficking of persons; and
WHEREAS, all States, U.S. Territories and the District of Columbia have passed anti-trafficking
laws with the understanding that they have an important and essential role in eliminating human
trafficking within America’s borders; and
WHEREAS, 37 states passed new laws in 2014 to strengthen already existing laws to fight
human trafficking; and
WHEREAS, combating human trafficking requires a collaborative, comprehensive approach
across all levels of government; and
WHEREAS, States welcome increased coordination with their federal counterparts—at the
Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Health and
Human Services, and the Department of State—to combat human trafficking.
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, The Council of State Governments will work with
States and with their federal counterparts—at the Department of Justice, the Department of
Homeland Security, the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of
State—to combat human trafficking; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, copies of this resolution shall be transmitted to the president, all
members of Congress, and the CSG staff directed to advocate for policies that reflect these
principles.
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Resolution Summary
This resolution reinforces the American ideal of equality among all citizens as articulated
in the U.S. Constitution and its subsequent amendments. There are hundreds of
thousands of victims of human trafficking in the U.S. with 80 percent comprised of
women and children. All 50 states have passed laws to combat this practice, and states
are looking for additional ways to strengthen those laws and to better coordinate with
their federal counterparts at the Department of Justice, the Department of Homeland
Security, the Department of State, and the Department of Health and Human Services.
States are committed to eliminating human trafficking within America’s borders and
world-wide.
Additional Resources
•
International Labour Organization, Forced Labour, Human Trafficking and
Slavery
http://www.ilo.org/global/topics/forced-labour/lang--en/index.htm
•
National Human Trafficking Resource Center, The Victims
https://traffickingresourcecenter.org/what-human-trafficking/humantrafficking/victims
•
Polaris, 2014 State Ratings on Human Trafficking Laws
https://polarisproject.org/resources/2014-state-ratings-human-trafficking-laws
•
U.S. Department of State, 2015 Trafficking in Persons Report
http://www.state.gov/j/tip/rls/tiprpt/
•
U.S. Department of State, U.S. Laws on Trafficking in Persons
http://www.state.gov/j/tip/laws/
CSG Management Directives
CSG staff will post approved resolution on CSG’s Web site and work with Congress,
executive branch officials, and stakeholders to promote policies to combat human
trafficking.
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