The House International Relations Committee today approved two bills authored by Vice Chairman Chris Smith (R-Hamilton), that reauthorize and enhance earlier laws written by Smith to crackdown on human trafficking and provide relief for people who have been the victims of human torture.

    Smith’s legislation, the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003, makes several adjustments to perfect the existing law so federal prosecutors can continue their hard work arresting and prosecuting traffickers and the United States can continue to press other nations to take similar actions.  The bill authorizes a federal investment of more than $105 million a year in Fiscal Years 2004 and 2005.

    “In its first two years, my law has enabled U.S. Attorneys to initiate three times the number of trafficking cases – 79 – than in the previous two years combined.  Nearly 400 victims of trafficking in the United States have received assistance through the Department of Health and Human Services, and more than 450 victims have applied for a ‘T-Visa,’ which would allow them to stay in the U.S. and receive humanitarian assistance if they agree to cooperate with prosecutors against their captors,” Smith said during today’s hearing.

    “While we have made much progress in combating human trafficking in the three years since my bill became law, we have not yet eradicated modern-day slavery as hundreds of thousands of people, most of whom are women and children, are trafficked each year.  Until this crime against humanity is no more, all governments must continuously reinforce their efforts to end this endemic violation of human rights and human dignity,” Smith added.

    Major enhancements included in Smith’s reauthorization bill are: adding human trafficking to the list of racketeering offenses covered under the federal RICO Statute; allowing trafficking victims to sue their captors in U.S. courts; and prohibiting any U.S. funds authorized to fight trafficking from being used to promote, support, or advocate prostitution or efforts to legalize prostitution.

    It also allows the U.S. government to terminate international contracts of any company found to be engaging in trafficking or sex with trafficked persons or using forced labor to execute the contract.  (This is in response to a problem uncovered last year with a firm working on a U.S. government contract in Bosnia). It also eliminates some obstacles that interfere with applying for a T-Visa, makes applications for the visa confidential, provides increased support to help victims rebuild their lives, and requires U.S. airlines to distribute information on our nation’s laws against sex tourism to passengers.

    The second bill, which amends the Torture Victims Relief Act of 1998, authorizes $75 million over the next three years for the Department of Health and Human Services to run domestic centers and treatment programs to help the victims of torture repair their lives.  It authorizes additional funds for other government programs as well as to the United Nations Voluntary Fund for Victims of Torture.