Bill Text: CA SR5 | 2021-2022 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Relative to Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Passed) 2021-02-12 - Read. Adopted. (Ayes 32. Noes 0. Page 192.) [SR5 Detail]
Download: California-2021-SR5-Enrolled.html
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Enrolled
February 17, 2021 |
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Passed
IN
Senate
February 12, 2021 |
CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE—
2021–2022 REGULAR SESSION
Senate Resolution
No. 5
| Introduced by Senator Melendez |
January 25, 2021 |
Relative to Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
SR 5, Melendez.
Digest Key
Bill Text
WHEREAS, Human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery. It is a crime that involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to recruit, harbor, transport, provide, or obtain a person for the purpose of labor or sexual exploitation; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of State’s 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report, 170 countries have made public commitments to the eradication of human trafficking; and
WHEREAS, The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimated that there were 40,300,000 victims of human trafficking globally in 2016; and
WHEREAS, According to the ILO, in 2016, 81 percent of human trafficking victims were trapped in forced labor, 25 percent were children, and 75 percent were women and girls; and
WHEREAS, The ILO estimated that, in 2016, $150,000,000,000 was made from forced labor; and
WHEREAS, According to the United States Department of State’s 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report, the United States is a primary source, transit, and destination country for human trafficking, both for citizens and foreign nationals; and
WHEREAS, In 2019 alone, federal law enforcement agencies initiated more than 1,600 new investigations into human traffickers and the United States Department of Justice’s human trafficking task forces opened more than 2,500 new cases on the frontlines; and
WHEREAS, The National Human Trafficking Hotline reported in 2018 that California is a primary location for human trafficking; and
WHEREAS, The Legislature recognizes the continuously growing crime of human trafficking within California due to its ever-increasing population, extensive international border, large immigrant population, and primary airports and harbors; and
WHEREAS, Nonprofit organizations are the primary, and often only, source of help for victims of human trafficking, whether rescuing victims or offering aid so they may transition into a new life outside of trafficking; and
WHEREAS, Survivors of human trafficking desperately require housing, medical treatment, counseling, legal representation, and employment; and
WHEREAS, Nonprofit organizations need funding to provide those services, and one of the primary sources of their funding comes from grants administered by the Office of Emergency Services; and
WHEREAS, According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, human trafficking has increased by 842 percent in the United States since 2007, with California leading the way with the largest increase in reported cases; and
WHEREAS, With an estimated spending surplus of $26,000,000,000 for the 2021–22 fiscal year, as projected by the Legislative Analyst’s Office, the Legislature should make it a priority to appropriate adequate funds to provide services for victims of human trafficking; and
WHEREAS, National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month culminates in the annual observation of National Freedom Day on February 1, 2021; and
WHEREAS, Our nation was founded upon the principle of freedom, and we affirmed this principle with the ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution that guaranteed people within our borders protection from slavery; and
WHEREAS, Americans are committed to individual freedom and will do all they can to help eliminate modern day slavery, which includes human trafficking, forced marriage, forced labor, bonded labor, and slavery by descent; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate of the State of California, That the Senate proclaims January 2021 as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in California to encourage greater awareness of human trafficking within the State of California, the United States of America, and internationally; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature encourages the continuous work to eradicate the crime of human trafficking within California; and be it further
Resolved, That the Legislature encourages its members, as well as organizations, businesses, and individuals, to host or sponsor and attend community events to bring visibility and support to efforts made by nongovernmental organizations to recognize and combat human trafficking; and be it further
Resolved, That the Secretary of the Senate transmit copies of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.
