U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-Hamilton), Vice Chairman of the House Committee on International Relations and Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, was unanimously appointed to a special international trafficking post during the winter session of the Organization for Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Parliamentary Assembly, held in Vienna, Austria this week.

    Smith, who wrote the United States’ two landmark laws to combat human trafficking and aid the victims of this horrible crime, was named Special Representative on Human Trafficking for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly by the 300-member body. He was nominated for the position by British Member of Parliament and OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Bruce George. 

    “I am honored that my colleagues from throughout the member states of the OSCE have recognized my work to eradicate the horrific crime of human trafficking and have tapped me for this new position,” Smith said. “I pledge to use the new post to continue to work with other nations to aggressively implement and enforce laws to prosecute traffickers, to aid the victims, and to educate potential victims – most of whom are women and children – about the dangers of trafficking.”

    Smith has long championed efforts to eliminate human trafficking. In fall 2000, the President signed into law Smith’s Victims of Trafficking Protection Act, a statute that for the first time gave U.S. authorities explicit tools and powers to prosecute traffickers. In December, President Bush signed into law a second Smith bill, which expanded and enhanced the original trafficking policy.

    In addition to his sponsorship of the U.S. laws on trafficking, Smith was appointed to his new post because of his ongoing work with parliamentarians from throughout the world to upgrade their laws against trafficking. He was also recognized for his work in arranging several international summits on human trafficking, including one last year in Washington attended by representatives from more than 120 nations. 

    In Parliamentary assemblies and meetings with heads of state visiting the U.S., Smith has raised the issue of trafficking countless times. His actions are paying off as the number of nation’s refusing to implement serious laws and reforms has dwindled, according to the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) report, a publication mandated by Smith’s first trafficking law.

    “While we have made significant progress over the past few years, clearly more action needs to be done. In September, President Bush urged all nations of the world to seriously address the issue of human trafficking, which destroys millions of lives every year. As Special Representative on Trafficking for the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, I will work hard to take the fight against trafficking to all corners of the globe,” Smith said. 

    John Miller, Director of the State Department’s Office of Trafficking, recently said the U.S. would invest more than $100 million this year alone to help nations address human trafficking.