We see slavery and trafficking stories throughout the world each week. It’s great news that journalists and bloggers are exposing the problem of slavery, and examining solutions to it. Awareness creates momentum for change. Here are 10 top stories that caught our eye:

1. Senator John Cornyn [Press Release]. “Senate Passes Cornyn-Blumenthal Child Protection Act of 2012.” http://www.cornyn.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=InNews&ContentRecord_id=e354c0a4-8956-4e14-82af-338155b4b7ad&ContentType_id=b94acc28-404a-4fc6-b143-a9e15bf92da4&f6c645c7-9e4a-4947-8464-a94cacb4ca65&Group_id=bf378025-1557-49c1-8f08-c5df1c4313a4

2. The New York Times. “How to Stabilize Congo [Debate].” http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/11/29/stabilizing-the-democratic-republic-of-congo

3. UN News Centre. “Humanitarian needs could rise if situation in eastern DR Congo remains unresolved.” http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=43637&Cr=democratic&Cr1=congo

4. United Nations [Press Release]. “Honouring International Day for Abolition of Slavery.” http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2012/sgsm14676.doc.htm

5. Ecouterre. “Abercrombie & Fitch, Forever 21 Fueling Modern-Day Slavery.” http://www.ecouterre.com/forever-21-abercrombie-fitch-fueling-modern-day-slavery-through-negligence/

6. Wall Street Journal. “Business Groups Specify ‘Conflict Minerals’ Issues.” http://blogs.wsj.com/corruption-currents/2012/11/26/business-groups-specify-conflict-minerals-issues/

7. The White House blog. “Fighting Human Trafficking in Cambodia.” http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2012/11/26/fighting-human-trafficking-cambodia

8. EBONY Magazine. “Liberation Music: Esperanza Spalding Swings for Freedom in All-Star Benefit.” http://www.ebony.com/video/entertainment-culture/esperanza-spalding-swings-for-freedom-in-all-star-benefit-392

9. Trust Law. “Slavery beyond the sex trade.” http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/news/slavery-beyond-the-sex-trade

10. Charisma News. “Nepali Sex-Trade Victims Call Themselves ‘Walking Dead’.” http://www.charismanews.com/world/34694-nepali-sex-trade-victims-call-themselves-walking-dead

We see slavery and trafficking stories throughout the world each week. It’s great news that journalists and bloggers are exposing the problem of slavery, and examining solutions to it. Awareness creates momentum for change. Here are 10 top stories that caught our eye:

1. ICE.gov. “ICE launches radio PSA outreach campaign to combat human trafficking.” http://www.ice.gov/news/releases/1211/121114washingtondc2.htm

3. Slate Magazine. “Blocking California’s New Sex-Offender Law.” http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/jurisprudence/2012/11/proposition_35_california_s_new_sex_offender_law_blocked.html

4. The Washington Post. “Singer Jason Mraz to make historic appearance in Myanmar to help fight human trafficking.” http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/singer-jason-mraz-to-make-historic-appearance-in-myanmar-to-help-fight-human-trafficking/2012/11/16/90fccfde-2fe7-11e2-af17-67abba0676e2_story.html

5. Human Rights Watch. “Morocco: Abuse of Child Domestic Workers.” http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/15/morocco-abuse-child-domestic-workers

6. The Bangkok Post. “Child labour on Obama agenda.” http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/321252/thai-shrimp-industry-welcomes-talk-on-child-labour

7. NewsTimes.com. “Blumenthal joins panel to combat human trafficking.” http://www.newstimes.com/local/article/Blumenthal-joins-panel-to-combat-human-trafficking-4038210.php

8. All Africa. “Congo-Kinshasa: From Conflict Gold to Criminal Gold in East – Same Miners, Different Enemies.” http://allafrica.com/stories/201211151385.html

9. Human Rights Watch. “End Child Labor in Gold Mines.” http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/11/13/end-child-labor-gold-mines

10. Ghana News Agency. “Ghanaians urged to avoid letting child labour to tarnish the country’s democratic credentials.” http://www.ghananewsagency.org/details/Social/Ghanaians-urged-to-avoid-letting-child-labour-to-tarnish-the-country%E2%80%99s-democratic-credentials./?ci=4&ai=52245

We see slavery and trafficking stories throughout the world each week. It’s great news that journalists and bloggers are exposing the problem of slavery, and examining solutions to it. Awareness creates momentum for change. Here are 10 top stories that caught our eye:

1. The New York Times. “The Travel Industry Takes On Human Trafficking.” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/11/09/giving/the-travel-industry-takes-on-human-trafficking.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss&_r=0

2. The Los Angeles Times. “Proposition 35, on human trafficking, passes, per AP.” http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/11/proposition-35-address-human-trafficking.html

3. The Huffington Post. “California Proposition 35, Sex Trafficking Initiative, Blocked By Judge.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/08/california-proposition-35_n_2096536.html

4. Forbes. “Inside eBay Billionaire Pierre Omidyar’s Battle To End Human Trafficking.” http://www.forbes.com/sites/clareoconnor/2012/11/08/inside-ebay-billionaire-pierre-omidyars-battle-to-end-human-trafficking/

5. The Huffington Post. “Child Sex Trafficking: A Domestic Crisis.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allison-dinoia-newcombe/child-sex-trafficking_b_2093512.html

6. Reuters. “”Conflict-free” tags help revive Congo minerals trade.” http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/11/08/us-congo-democratic-mining-idUSBRE8A70PG20121108

7. The Hindu. “School for child labourers opened in Vijayawada.” http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Vijayawada/school-for-child-labourers-opened-in-vijayawada/article4077198.ece

8. The Times of India. “500 students take oath to eliminate child labour.” http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/500-students-take-oath-to-eliminate-child-labour/articleshow/17118163.cms

9. The Orlando Sentinel. “Ugliness of human trafficking is coming out of the shadows.” http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/opinion/os-ed-human-trafficking-110712-20121106,0,1012787.story

10. The Huffington Post. “Young child rescued from Guyana gold camp.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/huff-wires/20121105/cb-guyana-child-labor/

Editor’s Note: We asked FTS Programs Director Karen Stauss to examine the impact the election results might have on the U.S. government’s efforts to combat slavery and trafficking.

 

What does the election outcome mean for the current members of Congress who return to Washington soon for their final “lame duck” session?

Whatever your thoughts on the outcome of yesterday’s presidential and congressional races, one thing is clear. The U.S. government has several pieces of unfinished business before it closes shop for the current term. One of the most important human rights issues requiring immediate action is reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA or S.1301).

The TVPA was created more than a decade ago, but it must be renewed every few years. The TVPA is the central piece of legislation that created anti-trafficking crimes under federal law. It set standards for the way the U.S. engages foreign governments to improve their anti-slavery efforts. It authorized funding for key U.S. government agencies to prevent trafficking and protect its victims. The TVPA provides funding for FTS projects in India and Haiti.

The TVPA, originally enacted in 2000 under a Democratic administration and reauthorized three times by a Republican administration, still has a chance of renewal this year.  So far, it’s been stuck in election-year gridlock.

Reauthorization should be a priority for current members of the House and Senate. It would mark a solid accomplishment for incumbent winners, as well as building a legacy for those who are leaving.

 

What do some of the election results mean for the future of U.S. efforts to end slavery?

Both President Obama and Governor Romney made combating slavery an explicit part of their party platforms.  (Read the Democrat platform here and the Republican platform here)

President Obama’s victory gives him an opportunity to show that his moving speech about fighting human trafficking, given in landmark fashion in New York at the Clinton Global Initiative in September, was more than inspiring words on the campaign trail.

 

Watch the FTS blog for detailed recommendations to the president from the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) on how he can strengthen his record in his second term.  ATEST is a U.S.-based coalition of human rights organizations, of which FTS is a founding member.

Support for anti-trafficking efforts in Congress has consistently been a bipartisan affair. That is unlikely to change with the Republicans retaining control of the House and Democrats holding on to the Senate.

With that said, the big news for anti-trafficking advocates in the House is the loss of  Howard Berman (D-California), who was pitted against another Democrat after congressional redistricting. As ranking Democrat and former chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Berman has been one of the most important champions of the TVPA and other anti-trafficking legislation. Other leaders from both parties will need to step forward now.

In the Senate, bipartisan support for anti-slavery efforts saw the loss of Scott Brown (R-Massachusetts). He was one of the key Senate Republicans, along with Marco Rubio (R-Florida), to take the lead in introducing TVPA reauthorization.

However, Scott Brown is replaced by Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts), and women in the Senate have generally been consistent supporters of efforts to combat trafficking. Slavery is an issue that overlaps with the broader problem of violence against women. The new Senate will actually have a record number of women. Hawaii and Wisconsin will each send their first female Senators to Washington in 2013 – Mazie Hirono (D) for Hawaii and Tammy Baldwin (D) for Wisconsin.

In sum, the balance of power in Washington doesn’t appear to have shifted much between the parties. But that’s okay because fighting slavery has always been an issue that unites rather than divides. Both parties in Congress, along with the president, have an opportunity to make meaningful progress against slavery.

As you watch the U.S. election results unfold tonight, here’s an interesting historical issue to keep in mind — or to work into conversations with friends.

The Electoral College was created, in part, as a compromise to give slaveholders more power.

In the Electoral College system, the number of votes that each state gets is based on the size of its congressional delegation, which in turn is determined by population.

Back in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention, states with large numbers of slaves had a problem.

The slaves would be counted in the census, increasing that state’s congressional delegation. But the slaves would not be allowed to vote, decreasing that state’s power if the presidency were to be determined by national popular vote.

The Electoral College solved this problem, according to George Edwards, who is a presidential scholar at Oxford University and Texas A&M. He’s the author of Why the Electoral College Is Bad for America.

Edwards described the Electoral College’s connection to slavery last Friday in the Washington Post:

“A direct election for president did not sit well with most delegates from the slave states, which had large populations but far fewer eligible voters. They gravitated toward the Electoral College as a compromise because it was based on population. The convention had agreed to count each slave as three-fifths of a person for the purpose of calculating each state’s allotment of seats in Congress. For Virginia, which had the largest population among the original 13 states, that meant more clout in choosing the president.”

Slavery wasn’t the only consideration when the Electoral College was created.

But it’s important to remember that slavery’s legacy can still be seen in America today.

That’s especially true if tonight’s presidential popular vote is close, and the electoral math determines who wins.