- [Only] "a mere fraction of the more than 26 million men, women, and
children who are estimated to suffer in modern slavery have been
recognized by governments as such and are eligible to receive the
protection and support they are owed.... traffickers who enslave
and exploit millions are operating with impunity, beyond the reach of
the law....
"meaningful participation of survivors in antitrafficking efforts– whether during an investigation or prosecution or in the broader policy realm—not only gives them a long-denied voice but also makes justice systems more effective....
"As the movement to combat modern slavery has evolved, so too has the understanding of what constitutes a trafficking victim. In the first few years..., nearly all of the trafficking cases prosecuted by governments were sex trafficking cases; identified victims were nearly all women and girls. Though today’s estimates suggest that the majority of trafficking victims are indeed women and girls, it is now clear that trafficking victims are subjected to both sex and labor trafficking, and a significant percentage of trafficking victims are men and boys."
Just one year prior to stepping down from office for patronizing prostitution,
- "New York's governor signed an anti-trafficking law, which
raised patronizing prostitution to a Class A misdemeanor.... New York is the abortion capital of America.' Not satisfied,
Eliot Spitzer [had also sought to]...further liberalize New
York's abortion laws....Unless built on a foundation of respect for all human life, anti-trafficking measures seem doomed to flounder (Keeping the escape hatch open: Middle-aged men and casual sex, Bucks County Courier Times, 4/9/08).
This past June, there was a stunning tribute to Mercer County (NJ) Congressman and pro life champion Chris Smith from an unlikely source:
- "I’m also particularly happy to be joined here today by Congressman
Chris Smith. I’ve worked with Chris on this stuff. There’s nobody more
committed or dedicated. So thank you, Chris, for your strong voice and
leadership in these efforts. Trafficking in persons is one
of those rare issues that can bring people together across the aisles
without regard to ideology and without regard to politics, and that’s
the way it ought to be. I appreciate Chris’s advocacy on this issue. For
years together in Congress, we were able to work on this and some other
issues. And it’s no understatement to say that he was banging the drum
on this long before many in Congress even knew the term 'trafficking in
persons' or understood what it really meant" (Secretary of State John Kerry, Remarks at the Annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) Release, 6/19/13).
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