Miami Trafficking Incident Brings National Problem to Light, Says Consumer Group

National Consumers League Releases Report, Calls on State and Local Governments to Act on Trafficking in U.S., One of Top Three Global Trafficking Destinations

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Consumers League (NCL) expresses its outrage today at a human trafficking incident that came to light in Miami last week — the trafficking and eight-year enslavement of a young girl. According to news reports, a Haitian couple has been indicted by a grand jury for smuggling the young girl from Haiti when she was 9 years old for forced domestic service and sexual exploitation. NCL commended the U.S. attorney’s office for taking legal action against those responsible and released a report, “The Unrestricted Highway: A Report on State Efforts to Identify and Combat Human Trafficking in the United States.” The U.S. is among the top three countries to which people are trafficked into modern-day slavery.

“Many consumers think of slavery as a thing of the past,” says Linda Golodner, NCL president and co-chair of the Child Labor Coalition, a group organized by NCL. “Unfortunately, they are gravely mistaken. This young woman is proof that gross trafficking violations occur on our very own soil, and no state or city is immune.”

The Department of State estimated in its annual Trafficking in Persons Report, released in June 2003, that an estimated 18,000-20,000 people are trafficked into the U.S. annually. This figure does not count the tens of thousands of children and adults who are trafficked throughout the United States .

NCL released a report today assessing the trafficking problem in the United States and outlining steps state and local governments could take to help decrease the incidents of human trafficking. The report, “The Unrestricted Highway: A Report on State Efforts to Identify and Combat Human Trafficking in the United States,” identifies steps a handful of proactive state governments have taken to curb human trafficking.

“Millions of people are enslaved around the world, and both slaves and slave-made goods are being bought and sold within the United States,” said Kevin Bales, president of Free the Slaves.

NCL coordinates the Child Labor Coalition, a group of advocates committed to ending the exploitation of children in the U.S. and abroad. To order a copy of the report, visit www.nclnet.org or www.stopchildlabor.org.

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About NCL and CLC

The National Consumers League, founded in 1899, is America's pioneer consumer organization. Our mission is to identify, protect, represent, and advance the economic and social interests of consumers and workers. NCL is a private, nonprofit membership organization. For more information, visit www.nclnet.org.

The Child Labor Coalition is a national group that works to end child labor exploitation in the

U.S.

and abroad and to protect the health, education, and safety of working minors. The CLC is comprised of 40 organizations, reflecting educators, health groups, religious and women’s groups, human rights groups, consumer groups, labor unions, and child labor advocates. The coalition is coordinated by the National Consumers League. For more information, visit www.stopchildlabor.org.