California Legislature—2013–14 Regular Session

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 6

Introduced by Assembly Member Donnelly

(Coauthors: Assembly Members Achadjian, Conway, Beth Gaines, Grove, Hagman, Mansoor, Olsen, and Wilk)

(Coauthors: Senators Nielsen and Padilla)

January 16, 2013

Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 6—Relative to human trafficking.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL’S DIGEST

ACR 6, as introduced, Donnelly. Human trafficking.

This resolution would recognize the month of January 2013, and each following January, as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and it would recognize February 1, 2013, and each following February 1, as California’s Free From Slavery Day.

Fiscal committee: no.

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama declared January 2011
to be National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month,
culminating in National Freedom Day on February 1, 2011; and

WHEREAS, President Barack Obama called “upon the People
of the United States to recognize the vital role we can play in
ending modern slavery” and that fighting this scourge is a shared
responsibility; and

WHEREAS, Our nation was founded upon the principle of
freedom, and we affirmed this principle with ratification of the
13th Amendment to the United States Constitution that guaranteed
people within our borders protection from slavery; and

WHEREAS, Americans are committed to individual freedom
and will do all they can to help eliminate modern day slavery,
which includes human trafficking, early and forced marriage,
forced labor, bonded labor, and slavery by descent; and

WHEREAS, Beyond all differences of race, creed, or political
persuasion, Americans are one people who must face national
threats together, and while they now live with a heightened
awareness of human trafficking and other forms of modern day
slavery, they refuse to allow them to continue; and

WHEREAS, Human trafficking can occur in many forms. Sexual
slavery, involuntary domestic servitude, and child soldiering are
just a few of the abuses that men, women, and children are
subjected to; and

WHEREAS, The United States Department of State’s
“Trafficking in Persons Report 2010” includes the United States
in its rankings for the first time in the report’s 10-year history
showing the United States as a growing magnet for traffickers to
conduct their illegal and inhumane business; and

WHEREAS, The Central Intelligence Agency estimated that
approximately 15,000 to 17,000 men, women, and children are
trafficked into the United States every year, making the United
States one of the top three trafficking destinations along with Japan
and Australia; and

WHEREAS, California is a prime destination for human
trafficking, along with other states including New York, Texas,
and Nevada; and

WHEREAS, California’s unique geography makes it a
particularly vulnerable location for human trafficking because of
its extensive international border, numerous ports and airports,
and overall large economy; and

WHEREAS, Apart from the harm that this crime causes its
victims, secondary consequences of human trafficking can severely
affect California communities. The link between human trafficking
and other criminal activities, including, but not limited to, human
smuggling, drug trafficking, money laundering, and organized
crime, increases the potential for other violent crime. The United
States Department of State reports that the impact of human
trafficking on surrounding communities includes increased crime
and gang activity, child exploitation, public health problems, and
depressed wages; and

WHEREAS, The Legislature recognizes the vital role California
can play in preventing and one day ending modern slavery; now,
therefore, be it

Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
thereof concurring, That the Legislature recognizes January 2013,
and each following January, as National Slavery and Human
Trafficking Prevention Month; and be it further

Resolved, That the Legislature recognizes February 1, 2013,
and each following February 1, as California’s Free From Slavery
Day, and calls upon all Californians to follow President Obama’s
charge to “educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery
and the signs and consequences of human trafficking”; and be it
further

Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit copies
of this resolution to the author for appropriate distribution.