Thursday, on the anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln signing the 13th amendment and National Freedom Day, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution led by Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) recognizing National Trafficking and Modern Slavery Prevention Month.
“The federal government must do everything in its power to fight back against the evils of human trafficking. By shining a light on modern-day slavery and expressing solidarity with victims of exploitation, the Senate stands unified in our efforts to put an end to these horrific crimes,” Grassley said.
“I’ve been working to combat human trafficking since I was Nevada’s Attorney General, and I’m proud the Senate passed our bipartisan resolution to raise awareness and reaffirm our commitment to ending this modern-day slavery,” said Cortez Masto. “There’s more work to do to address human trafficking, and I’ll continue to fight in the Senate to hold traffickers accountable and support survivors.”
This bipartisan resolution is among several of Grassley’s efforts to combat human trafficking. He led a similar resolution last Congress, which also passed the Senate unanimously. As a senior member and former chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Grassley has worked to enhance cooperation among federal anti-child trafficking agencies. He is also calling on federal agencies to urgently investigate evidence of suspected trafficking of unaccompanied migrant children.
Last year, two Grassley-championed bills to prevent child sex trafficking became law: one will close a statutory loophole that has precluded federal prosecutors from exacting justice on child sex abusers; the other will strengthen victim support programs.
Grassley and Cortez Masto are joined by Sens. Shelly Moore Capito (R-W.Va.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Susan Collins (R-Maine), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) and Laphonza Butler (D-Calif.).
Full text of the resolution is available HERE.
