NationStates Jolt Archive


Re-Submitted: Human Trafficking Victims Act

Marineris Colonies
30-09-2003, 20:06
The Human Trafficking Victims Act proposal has been re-submitted to the UN with some edits in the language, which The Commonwealth hopes will make the purpose of the proposal more clear. The following is the text of the proposal:

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Human Trafficking, the abhorent act of smuggling the disadvantaged and poor into countries on the promise of a new life only to make them slaves, is an increasing problem in our world today.

Those who would trust the criminal smugglers to provide them access to a new life often instead find themselves under forced labor or prostitution to pay off impossible, and often imaginary, debt.

What is worse, countries often, upon discovering the victim's illegal status, deport the victims before they can testify against those who had enslaved them, making it impossible for justice to be served.

If approved, The Human Trafficking Victims Act would call for:

1) All UN Member nations to provide temporary visa status to trafficking victims if/while said victims agree to testify against their captors in criminal trial. Once the criminal trial is completed, the status of the victim's visa will be left up to the individual nations.

2) All UN Member nations to allow free movement of labor between member states, thus allowing those poor and disadvantaged to easily find work in other countries without having to resort to human traffickers.

3) Increased co-operation between UN Member nations in sharing information and resources of investigation in order to prosecute criminal human trafficking organizations.

By being more willing to open our borders, being more willing to co-operate with each other's government in the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking organizations, and by allowing victims the opportunity to testify against their captors, we can begin to rid the world of this most despicable and deceptive slavery.

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Representative-Elect, Colony Representative Council
The Commonwealth of Marineris Colonies