SPONSOR: Rep. K. Williams & Rep. Michael Smith on behalf of all Representatives & Sen. Poore & Sen. Richardson on behalf of all Senators HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 4 RECOGNIZING THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2025 AS "HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH" IN DELAWARE.
SPONSOR: Rep. K. Williams & Rep. Michael Smith on behalf of all Representatives & Sen. Poore & Sen. Richardson on behalf of all Senators
SPONSOR: Rep. K. Williams & Rep. Michael Smith on behalf of all Representatives & Sen. Poore & Sen. Richardson on behalf of all Senators
SPONSOR:
Rep. K. Williams & Rep. Michael Smith on behalf of all Representatives & Sen. Poore & Sen. Richardson on behalf of all Senators
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
153rd GENERAL ASSEMBLY
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 4
RECOGNIZING THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2025 AS "HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH" IN DELAWARE.
WHEREAS, human trafficking is a heinous crime that exploits individuals through forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other forms of coercion, robbing them of their dignity and freedom; and WHEREAS, h uman trafficking is the second largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, generating more than $150 billion annually, with an estimated 27.6 million victims globally, including 1.1 million in the United States; and WHEREAS, approximately 41% of child trafficking situations globally involved a family member as the perpetrator; and WHEREAS, since 2020, there has been a 125% increase of recruitment into human trafficking through Facebook and a 95% increase of recruitment on Instagram; and WHEREAS, boys represent the fastest-growing segment of identified human trafficking victims. The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, 2022 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, released in January 2023, notes that the percentage of boys identified as victims of human trafficking more than quintupled between 2004 and 2020a much larger increase than for men, women, or girls; and WHEREAS, every two minutes, a child in the United States is trafficked, and over 300,000 children nationwide are at high risk of being trafficked daily, with 60% of trafficked children having been in the foster care system; and WHEREAS, in familial trafficking cases, the average age of initial exploitation is 4 years old, while 13 years old is the average age of recruitment for the other types of child trafficking; and WHEREAS, in the United States, kidnapping of children occurs in only an estimated 0.45 percent of trafficking cases; which means that, while it does happen, it is rare; and WHEREAS, in FY 24, the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families screened 114 youth at the report line. Of those screenings, 60 youth were determined to have clear concern for juvenile trafficking and 30 youth were determined to have possible concern for juvenile trafficking; and WHEREAS T he National Human Trafficking Hotline received 865 signals from Delaware, leading to the identification of 269 human trafficking cases and 611 victims, highlighting the ongoing and pervasive nature of this crime in our communities; and WHEREAS, the United States Department of Labor has identified 148 goods from 76 countries made by forced and child labor; and WHEREAS, the Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council (DATAC) has played a pivotal role in uniting stakeholders, including law enforcement, social service agencies, non-profits, survivors, and policymakers, to create a coordinated statewide response to human trafficking; and WHEREAS, Delaware Anti Trafficking Action Council, continues to work diligently to develop and enhance a comprehensive, statewide response plan to ensure offenders are held accountable and survivors have equitable access to care, resources, and justice; and WHEREAS public awareness is essential to educating people about the signs and consequences of human trafficking and DATAC has disseminated over 6,000 public awareness signs throughout the state; and WHEREAS Delaware must remain committed to seeking new funding opportunities to enhance its capacity to combat human trafficking and provide critical support for survivors and prevention efforts. NOW, THEREFORE: BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153 rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the members of the Delaware General Assembly hereby recognize the month of January 2025 as "Human Trafficking Awareness Month" in order to bring awareness to the crime of human trafficking in this State.
WHEREAS, human trafficking is a heinous crime that exploits individuals through forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other forms of coercion, robbing them of their dignity and freedom; and
WHEREAS, h uman trafficking is the second largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, generating more than $150 billion annually, with an estimated 27.6 million victims globally, including 1.1 million in the United States; and
WHEREAS, approximately 41% of child trafficking situations globally involved a family member as the perpetrator; and
WHEREAS, since 2020, there has been a 125% increase of recruitment into human trafficking through Facebook and a 95% increase of recruitment on Instagram; and
WHEREAS, boys represent the fastest-growing segment of identified human trafficking victims. The Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, 2022 Global Report on Trafficking in Persons, released in January 2023, notes that the percentage of boys identified as victims of human trafficking more than quintupled between 2004 and 2020a much larger increase than for men, women, or girls; and
WHEREAS, every two minutes, a child in the United States is trafficked, and over 300,000 children nationwide are at high risk of being trafficked daily, with 60% of trafficked children having been in the foster care system; and
WHEREAS, in familial trafficking cases, the average age of initial exploitation is 4 years old, while 13 years old is the average age of recruitment for the other types of child trafficking; and
WHEREAS, in the United States, kidnapping of children occurs in only an estimated 0.45 percent of trafficking cases; which means that, while it does happen, it is rare; and
WHEREAS, in FY 24, the Delaware Department of Services for Children, Youth and Their Families screened 114 youth at the report line. Of those screenings, 60 youth were determined to have clear concern for juvenile trafficking and 30 youth were determined to have possible concern for juvenile trafficking; and
WHEREAS T he National Human Trafficking Hotline received 865 signals from Delaware, leading to the identification of 269 human trafficking cases and 611 victims, highlighting the ongoing and pervasive nature of this crime in our communities; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Labor has identified 148 goods from 76 countries made by forced and child labor; and
WHEREAS, the Delaware Anti-Trafficking Action Council (DATAC) has played a pivotal role in uniting stakeholders, including law enforcement, social service agencies, non-profits, survivors, and policymakers, to create a coordinated statewide response to human trafficking; and
WHEREAS, Delaware Anti Trafficking Action Council, continues to work diligently to develop and enhance a comprehensive, statewide response plan to ensure offenders are held accountable and survivors have equitable access to care, resources, and justice; and
WHEREAS public awareness is essential to educating people about the signs and consequences of human trafficking and DATAC has disseminated over 6,000 public awareness signs throughout the state; and
WHEREAS Delaware must remain committed to seeking new funding opportunities to enhance its capacity to combat human trafficking and provide critical support for survivors and prevention efforts.
NOW, THEREFORE:
BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the 153 rd General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the Senate concurring therein, that the members of the Delaware General Assembly hereby recognize the month of January 2025 as "Human Trafficking Awareness Month" in order to bring awareness to the crime of human trafficking in this State.
SYNOPSIS This Concurrent Resolution recognizes January 2025 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Delaware.
SYNOPSIS
This Concurrent Resolution recognizes January 2025 as Human Trafficking Awareness Month in Delaware.