| 1 | 1 | | SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 511 |
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| 2 | 2 | | WHEREAS, Nearly 36 million people are held in some form of |
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| 3 | 3 | | slavery today, whether through commercial sexual exploitation, |
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| 4 | 4 | | forced labor, bonded labor, or coerced service as child soldiers, |
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| 5 | 5 | | and human trafficking is the second most profitable global crime, |
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| 6 | 6 | | generating more than $150 billion annually; and |
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| 7 | 7 | | WHEREAS, Four billion of the world's poorest people reside |
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| 8 | 8 | | outside the protection of the effective rule of law; they can be |
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| 9 | 9 | | readily exploited because of inept or corrupt public justice |
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| 10 | 10 | | systems, which permit not only human trafficking and modern |
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| 11 | 11 | | slavery, but also police brutality, rape, illegal land seizure, |
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| 12 | 12 | | and more; and |
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| 13 | 13 | | WHEREAS, Organizations such as International Justice |
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| 14 | 14 | | Mission, Polaris Project, UnBound, and Shared Hope International |
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| 15 | 15 | | work every day to secure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, |
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| 16 | 16 | | to bring perpetrators to justice, and to ensure that public |
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| 17 | 17 | | justice systems, including law enforcement, courts, and laws, |
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| 18 | 18 | | are effectively protecting people from heinous crimes; and |
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| 19 | 19 | | WHEREAS, In the United States, human traffickers have |
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| 20 | 20 | | utilized Texas as a conduit, destination, and launching point for |
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| 21 | 21 | | human trafficking and modern slavery; however, the state is a |
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| 22 | 22 | | national leader in introducing and enforcing laws that address |
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| 23 | 23 | | the scourge of human trafficking and slavery, both within its |
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| 24 | 24 | | borders and in neighboring regions; moreover, the state secures |
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| 25 | 25 | | high-quality data to assess the problem through the |
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| 26 | 26 | | unprecedented Texas Slavery Mapping Project; and |
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| 27 | 27 | | WHEREAS, Texans from all walks of life, including |
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| 28 | 28 | | students,businessowners,andpastorsandotherpeopleoffaith |
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| 29 | 29 | | and conscience, have demonstrated support for developing, |
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| 30 | 30 | | funding, and promoting effective antitrafficking and antislavery |
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| 31 | 31 | | measures, including rescue, safe houses, and aftercare for |
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| 32 | 32 | | victims, as well as prosecution and strong repercussions for |
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| 33 | 33 | | perpetrators; residents also advocate for educational |
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| 34 | 34 | | initiatives and for the enactment of antitrafficking and |
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| 35 | 35 | | antislavery laws in the state, in the nation, and throughout the |
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| 36 | 36 | | developing world; now, therefore, be it |
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| 37 | 37 | | RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas, 84th |
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| 38 | 38 | | Legislature, hereby recognize April 10, 2015, as Texas Ending |
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| 39 | 39 | | Modern Slavery Day and commend the officials and organizations |
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| 40 | 40 | | dedicated to helping victims and preventing the victimization of |
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| 41 | 41 | | others. |
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| 42 | 42 | | Taylor of Galveston |
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| 43 | 43 | | ________________________________ |
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| 44 | 44 | | President of the Senate |
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| 45 | 45 | | I hereby certify that the |
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| 46 | 46 | | above Resolution was adopted by |
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| 47 | 47 | | the Senate on April 9, 2015. |
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| 48 | 48 | | ________________________________ |
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| 49 | 49 | | Secretary of the Senate |
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| 50 | 50 | | ________________________________ |
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| 51 | 51 | | Member, Texas Senate |
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