President Bush is expected to sign a new law opposing human trafficking.
Trafficking of human beings, mostly as cheap labor or for the sex trade, is an international problem. But Janice Crouse of Concerned Women for America says it is surprisingly common in America. "In a country like ours, where nearly 18,000 people are trafficked into the United States every year, this has become a major problem," she points out. Many of the victims are tricked into entering the country, according to Crouse. "Nearly 80 percent of the victims are female, and many of those are children," she notes. "About half of them are children, and the majority of them end up being sex slaves." The William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (H.R. 7311) was passed in both the House and the Senate, according to Baptist Press. The legislation is named for Wilberforce, an evangelical Christian who, for years, led Parliament in the campaign to outlaw the British slave trade and finally succeeded in the 19th century. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, calls the new law a "tremendous victory for human rights," as he believes the "trafficking of women and children for sexual purposes in sexual bondage is a terrible, terrible human tragedy." Crouse contends the new law strengthens the state department's ability to deal with the problem. "It will help to increase the prosecution of the people who are involved in the crime," she adds. "And one of the things that we're most excited about is that the bill focuses on the pimps and the johns and the criminal networks, rather than just arresting the victim."
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