[Congressional Bills 111th Congress] [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office] [H. Res. 1412 Introduced in House (IH)] 111th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 1412 Congratulating the Government of South Africa upon its first two successful convictions for human trafficking. _______________________________________________________________________ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES May 27, 2010 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. Granger, and Mrs. Maloney) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs _______________________________________________________________________ RESOLUTION Congratulating the Government of South Africa upon its first two successful convictions for human trafficking. Whereas from June 11, 2010, through July 11, 2010, the 2010 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by South Africa and include games played in stadiums across the country, including Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Durban, Bloemfontein, Rustenburg, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Nelspruit, and Polokwane; Whereas the 2010 FIFA World Cup is likely to attract an estimated 2,700,000 local spectators and 350,000 to 500,000 visitors to the country; Whereas the influx of tourism is likely to lead to an increase in demand for sexual services and create demand for the commercial sexual exploitation of women and children; Whereas the preparations for the 2010 FIFA World Cup have resulted in an influx of foreign workers, some of whom have gone on strike for nonpayment of wages; Whereas the hospitality industries may be particularly susceptible to labor trafficking during the 2010 FIFA World Cup; Whereas the Government of South Africa has invested in media campaigns and the training of law enforcement to detect and prevent human trafficking; Whereas the Government of South Africa has ordered schools to be closed during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, raising concerns that children will be unattended during a period of high trafficking potential; Whereas the United States Department of State has reported that, ``South Africa is a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked men, women, and children. . . . Children are largely trafficked within the country . . . to urban centers like Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, and Bloemfontein--girls trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and domestic servitude; boys trafficked for forced street vending, food service, begging, crime, and agriculture . . .''; Whereas women and girls have reportedly been trafficked into South Africa from as far away as Russia, Thailand, Pakistan, Philippines, India, China, Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Angola, Burundi, Ethiopia, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, Cameroon, Nigeria, and Somalia; and Whereas civil society in South Africa has invested tremendous energy and resources into preventing human trafficking at the 2010 FIFA World Cup through Cape Town Tourism, Leadership Conference of Consecrated Religious and the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Catholic Church, the Salvation Army, the Tshwane Counter-Trafficking Coalition for 2010, and many other nongovernmental and religious organizations: Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the House of Representatives-- (1) congratulates the Government of South Africa upon its first two successful convictions for human trafficking; (2) calls on the Government of South Africa to move quickly to adopt the Prevention and Combating of Trafficking in Persons Bill in order to facilitate future prosecutions; (3) calls on the Government of South Africa to increase awareness among all levels of relevant government officials as to their responsibilities under the trafficking provisions of the Sexual Offenses and Children's Acts; (4) calls on the Government of South Africa to prioritize anti-trafficking law enforcement during the 2010 FIFA World Cup through expanded law enforcement presence, raids, and other measures in areas where trafficking for labor and sexual exploitation are likely to occur; (5) calls on the Government of South Africa to divert all prostituted persons under the age of 18 from the criminal system into rehabilitative care; (6) calls on the Government of South Africa to ensure shelters and rehabilitative care are available to all human trafficking victims for the 2010 FIFA World Cup and beyond; (7) calls on the Government of South Africa to adopt measures to protect vulnerable children, including those children unattended because of school closures and refugee children, as well as other potential victims, from sexual and labor exploitation; and (8) urges the Government of South Africa to detain and prosecute tourists participating in commercial sexual exploitation of women and children during the 2010 FIFA World Cup. <all>