Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden and 45 of his colleagues have asked Congress to continue fighting human trafficking and modern-day slavery by passing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) by the end of the year.

“Human trafficking takes place in the shadows, but the devastating effects on victims, families and communities are plain,” said Biden. “Because these crimes occur without regard to local, state and even national boundaries, it is essential that we stand together across those borders to fight trafficking and help victims heal.”

In a letter signed by attorneys general from 46 American states and territories, Biden and his colleagues said reauthorizing the TVPRA is essential to adequately fund programs that help curtail the human trafficking industry and provide the resources necessary to rehabilitate survivors. “Victims of trafficking include both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, children and adults, trapped in forced labor and situations of sexual exploitation, with little hope of escape,” the letter says. “Victims often experience severe trauma that requires intensive therapy and rehabilitation.”

Human trafficking is one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world, generating over $32 billion in profits to traffickers annually, according to some estimates. In December 2008, Congress reauthorized the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), and it has been renewed three times since, but it needs to be reauthorized by the end of this year or it will expire.

A copy of the letter can be found here: http://www.naag.org/sign-on_archive.php.

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