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2011 SESSION
WHEREAS, the people of Virginia remain committed to protecting individual freedom and eliminating human trafficking, including commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, labor obtained through debt bondage, involuntary servitude, slavery, slavery by descent, and early or forced marriage; and
WHEREAS, to combat human trafficking, people must be aware of the realities of human trafficking and must be dedicated to stopping this contemporary manifestation of slavery; and
WHEREAS, all individuals, groups, organizations, and nations who support, advance, or commit acts of human trafficking should be actively opposed; and
WHEREAS, victims of human trafficking need support in order to escape and to recover from the physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual trauma associated with their victimization; and
WHEREAS, human traffickers use many physical and psychological techniques to control their victims, including the use of violence, isolation from the public and the victim’s family, language and cultural barriers, confiscation of passports and other identification documents, and threats of arrest, deportation, or imprisonment if the victim attempts to reach out for assistance or to leave; and
WHEREAS, although laws have been enacted to prosecute perpetrators of human trafficking and to assist and protect victims of human trafficking, awareness of the issues surrounding human trafficking by those people most likely to come into contact with victims is essential because the techniques that traffickers use to keep their victims enslaved severely limit self-reporting; and
WHEREAS, the effort by individuals, businesses, organizations, and governing bodies to promote the observance of the National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness on January 11 of each year represents one of the many examples of the ongoing commitment in the United States to raise awareness of and opposition to human trafficking; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly designate January 11, in 2011 and in each succeeding year, as Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day in Virginia; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates post the designation of this day on the General Assembly’s website.