Forehand pledges to push anti-trafficking legislation
View full sizeSen. Jennie M. Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville, shown here in a file photo from Primary Election Night in September, said she plans to introduce legislation in the General Assembly to allow the seizure of assets from human traffickers. Credit Sean Sedam
Sen. Jennie M. Forehand said last week that she plans to ratchet up pressure against the modern day slave trade by introducing legislation to allow law enforcement to seize assets of human traffickers just as they do with drug traffickers.
Debbie Dwyer, a federal prosecutor and chairwoman of the City of Rockville's Human Rights Commission, said she supports Forehand's proposal.
"I am pleased to see local emphasis being placed on traffickers," Dwyer said. "It is very important for people who have eyes in the community to know that we can help federal authorities fight this."
The Human Rights Commission helped to put a local spotlight on the issues of human rights and the slave trade, sponsoring a forum on Thursday at VisArts at Rockville Town Square.
The forum was held in conjunction with the 62nd anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and Human Rights Day 2010, which will be observed on Friday.
There may be as many as 27 million adults and children living in slavery worldwide, according to groups like
Free the Slaves, whose Lee McClure presented during the forum.
Many slaves are used in the sex trade. Others work as cheap or even unpaid labor, toiling as domestic workers in the homes of the wealthy in the United States and in other industrialized nations or as field hands and factory workers in poor and developing countries.
Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville has been active in slavery issues since 2004.
She was the lead sponsor of the 2007 legislation that defined human trafficking in Maryland and made it a crime. Earlier this year, she successfully sponsored a bill that increases misdemeanor penalties for trafficking to felonies and allows the state to go after peripheral players, such as van drivers who deliver victims.
While groups like the nonprofit Free the Slaves estimate that there are some 27 million slaves worldwide, the U.S. State Department uses a lower estimate of 12.3 million people, with at least 56 percent of them female.
The problem is that there is no way to document the number accurately as it is such a hidden crime, said McClure, Free the Slaves' outreach and research coordinator. The Congressional Research Service estimates that as many as 17,500 people are trafficked in the United States annually.
Free the Slaves partners with similar organizations in several overseas countries, working with indigenous peoples who understand the language and the culture. Their goal is to make local economies stronger so that slavery is no longer attractive.
They are also working with international companies to create awareness of the human supply chain and to build local businesses that don't use slave labor.
Stephanie Gonzalez, a case manager with Ayuda, a nonprofit that works to protect the rights of immigrants in the Washington, DC area said 89 percent of her caseload involves labor trafficking.
Most slaves are nannies or domestic servants for international organizations, diplomats, or government officials, often held in virtual bondage, where they are forced to work extremely long hours under often brutal conditions for little or no pay.
Gonzalez stressed the importance of community awareness of the problem. The signs to look for are:
The center's hotline is 1-888-3737-888.
Community awareness can help impact global changes, she said.
Debbie Dwyer, a federal prosecutor and chairwoman of the City of Rockville's Human Rights Commission, said she supports Forehand's proposal.
"I am pleased to see local emphasis being placed on traffickers," Dwyer said. "It is very important for people who have eyes in the community to know that we can help federal authorities fight this."
The Human Rights Commission helped to put a local spotlight on the issues of human rights and the slave trade, sponsoring a forum on Thursday at VisArts at Rockville Town Square.
The forum was held in conjunction with the 62nd anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948 and Human Rights Day 2010, which will be observed on Friday.
There may be as many as 27 million adults and children living in slavery worldwide, according to groups like
Free the Slaves, whose Lee McClure presented during the forum.
Many slaves are used in the sex trade. Others work as cheap or even unpaid labor, toiling as domestic workers in the homes of the wealthy in the United States and in other industrialized nations or as field hands and factory workers in poor and developing countries.
Forehand (D-Dist. 17) of Rockville has been active in slavery issues since 2004.
She was the lead sponsor of the 2007 legislation that defined human trafficking in Maryland and made it a crime. Earlier this year, she successfully sponsored a bill that increases misdemeanor penalties for trafficking to felonies and allows the state to go after peripheral players, such as van drivers who deliver victims.
While groups like the nonprofit Free the Slaves estimate that there are some 27 million slaves worldwide, the U.S. State Department uses a lower estimate of 12.3 million people, with at least 56 percent of them female.
The problem is that there is no way to document the number accurately as it is such a hidden crime, said McClure, Free the Slaves' outreach and research coordinator. The Congressional Research Service estimates that as many as 17,500 people are trafficked in the United States annually.
Free the Slaves partners with similar organizations in several overseas countries, working with indigenous peoples who understand the language and the culture. Their goal is to make local economies stronger so that slavery is no longer attractive.
They are also working with international companies to create awareness of the human supply chain and to build local businesses that don't use slave labor.
Stephanie Gonzalez, a case manager with Ayuda, a nonprofit that works to protect the rights of immigrants in the Washington, DC area said 89 percent of her caseload involves labor trafficking.
Most slaves are nannies or domestic servants for international organizations, diplomats, or government officials, often held in virtual bondage, where they are forced to work extremely long hours under often brutal conditions for little or no pay.
Gonzalez stressed the importance of community awareness of the problem. The signs to look for are:
- A person has no control of their passport or other official documentation.
- They have no control of money.
- They are unable to leave a job.
- They are in debt to their employer.
- They are they allowed to go anywhere alone.
- They are unable to talk to anyone outside of work.
The center's hotline is 1-888-3737-888.
Community awareness can help impact global changes, she said.
Source: Rockville Patch
Focus on Slavery in Rockville Forum - Rockville, MD Patch
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