| Your Nike shoes that cost you 150 dollar and | | | | thousands of persons are trafficked into the |
| your 70 dollar pair of Levi Strauss jeans | | | | US and are held under slave like conditions. |
| were most likely made by a young person from | | | | This is a gross and escalating human rights |
| the age of 5-14 living in Indonesia, | | | | violation and a worldwide problem that must |
| Honduras, China or Haiti. They are forced to | | | | be addressed in the US, even as the US |
| work with no benefits, low wages, long hours, | | | | government continues to fight it on the |
| and unsanitary conditions. They are basically | | | | international front. I therefore ask you to |
| slaves. Some factory management assault, | | | | support the Bill S.2449 by Senator Wellstone |
| rape, and abuse the workers. | | | | to combat trafficking of women and children. |
| | | | The Trafficking Victims Act 2000 strikes at a |
| Children are the majority that dies from this | | | | domestic and international problem which has |
| immoral exploitation. According to Children | | | | been neglected for too long. In a recent |
| are forced to work up to 15 hours a day, | | | | report on trafficking, the CIA estimated that |
| seven days a week in factories and in fields. | | | | every year more than 50,000 women and |
| These children are deprived of schooling, | | | | children are brought to the United States and |
| beaten, sexually abused, engorged and forced | | | | are forced to work as prostitutes, forced |
| to work in dangerous unsanitary conditions. | | | | laborers or servants. Worldwide, trafficking |
| The children are sold to employers who pay | | | | affects up to 2 million persons each year. |
| families for the use of their child. | | | | This is a gross human rights violation. |
| | | | |
| 211 million children from the ages of 5-14 | | | | The Bill S.2449 by Senator Paul Wellstone |
| work worldwide in sweatshops. The U.S. | | | | aims to prevent trafficking in persons, |
| government estimated that, 50,000 to 100,000 | | | | provide protection and assistance to those |
| each year women and children are trafficked | | | | who have been trafficked, and punish those |
| in the United States, half of which are | | | | responsible for trafficking. It will ensure |
| trafficked into domestic servitude and | | | | that the State Department and U.S. law |
| sweatshop labors from various countries. | | | | enforcement agencies are fully engaged in the |
| Trafficking is a slavery-like practice that | | | | issue, that our immigration laws do not |
| must be eliminated. Trafficking in women and | | | | encourage rapid deportation of victims, and |
| children is now considered the third largest | | | | that trafficking victims receive needed |
| source of profits for organized crime, behind | | | | services and safe shelter. In addition, the |
| only drugs and guns," An estimated 200,000 | | | | Bill toughens criminal penalties, and |
| Bangladeshi women have been trafficked to | | | | provides substantial resources to programs |
| Pakistan over the last 10 years, the majority | | | | assisting victims at home and abroad. |
| being young women. | | | | |
| | | | I urgently ask you to sign on as a co-sponsor |
| According to a Press Release March 2005 | | | | for Senator Wellstone's Bill and to vote in |
| | | | favor of it. |
| With an estimated 600,000-800,000 people | | | | |
| trafficked worldwide in 2004 alone, human | | | | Sincerely, |
| trafficking is a $5.7 billion a year industry | | | | |
| | | | Your Name |
| | | | |
| The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights urges | | | | Your Address |
| you to take the following actions: | | | | |
| | | | Free the Children is an international network |
| "Help End Sweatshop Practices" Action Alert | | | | of children helping children at a local, |
| on | | | | national and international level through |
| | | | representation, leadership and action. |
| US Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN), a member of | | | | |
| the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, | | | | Sweatshops.org |
| introduced a comprehensive legislation to | | | | |
| tackle the violations of human rights in the | | | | Co-op America's Sweatshops.org aims to end |
| context of the trafficking of persons, | | | | sweatshops and child labor; supports fair |
| particularly women and children, for purposes | | | | trade, international human and labor rights. |
| of forced labor and sexual exploitation. | | | | |
| Please send the following message to your | | | | Download "Ending Public Subsidies of |
| state representative asking him or her to | | | | Sweatshop Abuses: A Guide to 'Sweatfree' |
| support the Trafficking Victims Protection | | | | Procurement Laws," a manual by the group No |
| Act of 2000. To review the Act, go to; and | | | | More Sweatshops! |
| type in the following Bill Number: S. 2449. | | | | |
| | | | Children are being stripped of their rights |
| Dear NAME OF YOUR SENATOR HERE: | | | | and forced to work long hours in harsh |
| | | | sweatshop conditions for wages of 20-30¢ |
| I write to you as a concerned citizen and I | | | | an hour. It's time to work together and end |
| am asking for your support. Each year | | | | child labor. |