Major Hurricane Milton is expected to make landfall in Florida, bringing with it devastating storm surge, winds, and inland flooding. The Seminole Tribe of Florida should have access to the federal resources required for emergency response and recovery preparations on...
Major Hurricane Milton is forecasted to potentially hinder or obstruct the Port of Tampa Bay, which receives more than 40 percent of Florida’s petroleum products. It’s crucial for the federal government to expedite all requested measures to protect Florida’s economy...
Major Hurricane Milton is forecasted to impact Florida with devastating storm surge, winds, and inland flooding. After just being hit by Hurricane Helene, it’s crucial for the State of Florida to have the support of the federal government. U.S. Senators Marco Rubio...
This year marks the first anniversary of the October 7, 2023 terrorist attacks against Israel. 32 Americans died in those attacks, and four of the Americans taken hostage that day remain in captivity. U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) released a video remembering the...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s gulf coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with the Florida Farm Bureau as well as local agricultural producers, farmers, and growers to discuss the storm’s impact. Photos are courtesy of...
Following Hurricane Helene’s catastrophic damage throughout Florida’s Gulf Coast, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) met with local officials and volunteers from the barrier islands to discuss the storm’s impact and current recovery efforts. Photos are courtesy of...
Senators: “Our laws must be renewed and updated to protect victims and improve our government’s ability to combat modern-day slavery. No matter where they are in the world, the victims of human trafficking need a strong America to champion their cause as our own.”
Leahy and Rubio: Putting an End to Human Trafficking
By Sens. Patrick Leahy and Marco Rubio
Roll Call
July 17, 2012
http://www.rollcall.com/news/Patrick-Leahy-Marco-Rubio-Putting-an-End-to-Human-Trafficking-216162-1.html
These days, Congressional focus rightly rests on finding solutions to the nation’s unemployment crisis. But while our attention remains on putting Americans back to work, we cannot lose sight of our obligations as the world’s leading defender of human rights. That is why we are working in Congress to put an end to human trafficking — one of the great atrocities of our time.
Human trafficking for commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor or fighting wars remains a pervasive form of modern-day slavery in the United States and abroad. Millions of people are estimated to be enslaved by human trafficking around the world. The result is an incalculable amount of physical abuse and trauma and sometimes insurmountable psychological scars. The problem exists internationally and, shockingly, right here in our own backyard. The State Department estimates that thousands of victims are trafficked into the United States every year. Despite concerted federal, state and local efforts to battle this scourge, victims of human trafficking continue to be held against their will.
The United States has long been a beacon of human rights throughout the world, and refugees have sought asylum on our shores and protection under our laws. If we are to continue to be that light of hope to those persecuted around the world, we cannot sit idly by while human trafficking continues. We must take action to combat this problem domestically as well as internationally. And we must raise public awareness of this ravaging crisis.
That is why we have teamed together — a Democrat from Vermont and a Republican from Florida — to advance the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act. When this law was first enacted in 2000, it won sweeping approval by both parties in Washington, D.C. Democrats and Republicans alike supported efforts to end this heinous crime. The success of the law has extended through both Republican and Democratic administrations and continues to win bipartisan support in Congress.
The law seeks to cut off human trafficking at its roots by supporting international and domestic efforts to fight the causes and punish the perpetrators of trafficking. Many nations around the world are partners in these efforts, and many are not. Those who support trafficking, whether through direct involvement or deliberate inaction, must be held to account. Beyond serving as a chilling reminder of how widespread this dehumanizing practice is around the world, the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons Report has provided a useful tool to nudge other nations toward action. We need to work with foreign partners to move beyond merely talking and toward enacting laws and resolutely prosecuting these criminal activities and better supporting victims.
…
Keep reading here.