National Human Trafficking Prevention Month Proclamation
WHEREAS, The United States Senate designated January 11 th, as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in 2007 and, beginning in 2010 by Presidential Proclamation, each January has been designated National Slavery Human Trafficking Prevention Month; and
WHEREAS, human trafficking is a public health issue and crime that affects individuals, families, and communities across generations, exploiting the most vulnerable among us and weakening our collective well-being; and
WHEREAS, human trafficking involves commerci al sexual exploitation and labor exploitation. Sex trafficking is defined as “a commercial sex act that is induced by force, fraud, or coercion,” but if the person has not attained the age of 18 years old, force, fraud or coercion is not required. Labor trafficking is defined as, “the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery”; and
WHEREAS, human trafficking is a human rights violation, and a violation of both federal and California law, it also promotes the breakdown of families and communities, fuels organized crime, deprives countries of precious human contributions, undermines public health, and imposes large economic costs; and
WHEREAS, the FBI has identified California and the San Francisco Bay Area as an area of high prevalence for human trafficking. Although human trafficking is illegal, those victimized by trafficking often know that help is available, or where to seek assistance; and
WHEREAS, human trafficking can happen to anyone, certain populations are disproportionately vulnerable, including Black girls, women, and gender -expansive youth affected by early life abuse, sexual violence and poverty; those systemically marginalized and underserved; and, those who lack access to stable housing, employment or social safety nets, work visas or employment protections that would safeguard them from exploitation; and
WHEREAS, systemically marginalized populations experience the compounding impacts of racism, multigenerational poverty, misogyny, Xenophobia and community divestment ; the City of Richmond, California is dedicated to addressing these injustices experienced by these underserved populations in order to prevent future victimization; and
WHEREAS, public awareness about human trafficking still needs to reach broader communities and communicate more information about the nuances of this violation of human rights; and
WHEREAS, people who have experienced human trafficking have critical perspectives and expertise and Richmond, California will uplift their voices, engage, and collaborate with them to strengthen trafficking-related services and programs;
WHEREAS, the Richmond City Council is dedicated to ensuring anyone impacted by human trafficking can receive person -centered, trauma -informed, and culturally and linguistically appropriate care.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Richmond City Council does hereby proclaim January 2024 as Human Trafficking Prevention Month in the City of Richmond, California.