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Act now to support victims of human trafficking!
Dear Supporter,
Make a difference today in the lives of victims of trafficking!
In December, 2008, the Congress passed legislation that authorized millions of dollars to fund services for victims of trafficking and to ensure that traffickers are held accountable for their crimes. Now the House and Senate must ensure that the funding actually reaches the programs by including it in the State, Foreign Operations subcommittee appropriations bill, which will be marked up by the Senate State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations subcommittee by this Thursday.
It is critical that the Chair and ranking Senator on the Committee, Patrick Leahy and Judd Gregg, hear from us just how critical this funding is to improve the lives of trafficking victims in the United States. With a limited budget and so many competing projects seeking funding, it is critical that you tell federal legislators about the urgent need for funds for human trafficking survivors.
The Torah teaches us to protect the most vulnerable members of our society. Indeed, the injunction to love the stranger is mentioned more than the laws of keeping kosher or Shabbat. The victims of human trafficking are the most vulnerable members of our society. We must support critical services that help identify and rehabilitate trafficking survivors.
Take action today! Instructions for calling the Senators offices, including phone numbers and a sample script, are below. It is very important that you call today or tomorrow.
Together, we can make a real difference in the lives of survivors of human trafficking.
Sincerely,
Steven Gerber
Executive Director
Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster
Director of Education and Outreach
Take Action
Senator Patrick Leahy's Washington Office: (202) 224-4242
Senator Judd Gregg's Washington Office: (202) 224-3324
Sample Script
I am calling to ask Senator Leahy/Gregg to please support funding and report language to end human trafficking and modern day slavery in the State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs appropriations bill.
Around the world today, more than 27 million people are victims of modern-day slavery, including thousands of people right here in the United States. As a Jewish American, I understand the imperative in the Torah to protect the most vulnerable people in our midst, because we were strangers in the land of Egypt. It is an outrage that in the land of the free, so many people are enslaved.
In particular, please support:
- Support the $6.8 million for administration costs for the trafficking in persons office grants/Country Programs/Trafficking in Persons.
- Support the President's $25 million which can be used for prevention, victim services, and prosecution for the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement (INCLE) grants to fight human trafficking internationally.
- Include report language to ensure foreign assistance does not inadvertently promote human trafficking and slavery.
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