Rep. Chris Smith (NJ-04), Chairman of the House panel on Human Rights, will be holding a House hearing on Human Trafficking and the “Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017” on Tuesday, May 2nd . The legislation, named after the great American abolitionist, will strengthen penalties for traffickers and increase protection for the victims.
“Born a slave in 1818—we celebrate and look forward to the 200th anniversary of his birth next year—Frederick Douglass escaped slavery when he was 20 and dedicated his entire life to abolishing slavery and, after emancipation, to ending Jim Crow laws and lynching, all while struggling for full equality,” said Smith. “A gifted orator, author, editor and statesman, he died in 1895. In the fight to end modern day slavery, the new Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2017 honors the extraordinary legacy of one of the greatest Americans who ever lived.”
Who: Chairman Smith (NJ-04), Senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations; other members of the Committee
Witness:
Mr. Robert Benz
Co-Founder and Executive Vice President
Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives
Ms. Jo Becker
Advocacy Director
Children’s Rights Division
Human Rights Watch
Mr. Tim Gehring
Policy and Research Manager
International Justice Mission
Ms. Melysa Sperber
Director
Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking
Ms. Malika Saada Saar
Human Rights Lawyer
(Co-Founder and Former Executive Director, Human Rights Project for Girls)
What: House hearing on Human Trafficking Legislation
When: Tuesday, May 2, 2017 2:00 PM
Where: Rayburn House Office Building, Room 2172 (first floor)
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