STATEMENT OF THE HONORABLE DENISE L. MAJETTE
FOR DELIVERY AT THE INAUGURATION OF RESCUE AND RESTORE
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – APRIL 22, 2004

Human Trafficking is one of the most pressing human rights challenges of our time. As hard as it might be for most of us to imagine, every year, more than 800,000 human beings -- mostly women and children -- are bought, sold, or forced across international borders. And this awful practice doesn’t just happen across the globe, in far-off places we might choose not to see. Over 18,000 of these victims are trafficked into the United States every year. We cannot ignore their plight.

Snatching young women and children from their families and friends and forcing them into involuntary servitude is modern day slavery. The U.S. Congress acted to help stop this practice by passing and then strengthening the Trafficking Victims Protection Act. With the reauthorization of the Act just last year, Congress ensured that much-needed law enforcement and compassionate care practices be used to focus on arresting traffickers and truly freeing the people they enslave and exploit.

Our compassion for the victims is demonstrated today as we kick off Rescue and Restore in Atlanta, a campaign targeted at local officials and service providers most likely to encounter victims. In doing so, we aim to find, rescue and restore victims to a humane condition of life.

I am proud of the role that the city of Atlanta will play in implementing the law's compassionate approach to finding and aiding the victims of human trafficking. Through the Department of Health and Human Services, Atlanta will be a pilot program, and an example of how a major public awareness campaign like Rescue and Restore can work.

The victims of trafficking, who are likely illegal immigrants and may be involved in illegal practices such as prostitution, are not criminals -- they are the victims, and they must be allowed to rebuild their lives by staying here in the United States. In the past, many victims have been hesitant to seek help from the authorities for fear of deportation. A new, special T-visa has been created to allow those freed from trafficking to remain here for up to 3 years, with the chance to apply for residency.

Rescue and Restore will educate the American public about human trafficking, in order to combat it and to come to the aid of its victims. It will take a vigilant citizenry to fight the criminals who turn the lives of so many into living nightmares. I know that the people of Atlanta are ready for this challenge – and I applaud them. We will not rest until each victim of human trafficking has been rescued from servitude and restored to his or her rightful place in society.

We have not yet eradicated modern-day slavery and, until that day comes, all governments must continuously reinforce their efforts to end this endemic violation of human rights and human dignity.