The Ricky Martin Foundation Celebrates the Signing of the new Federal Legislation to Combat Human Trafficking.

NEW YORK -- Ricky Martin received with great rejoice the enactment of a new federal legislation dubbed Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act recently signed by the President of the United Status, George W. Bush.

The bipartisan bill assigns $361 billion for the next two years to help identify and assist victims that had been kidnapped, exploited, enslaved by their employment, trafficked involuntarily or falsely incarcerated by means of fraud or coerciveness, as well as sexual commercial exploitation, sexual tourism, prostitution or pornography, being abused to the degree of being murdered.

Towards the end of September, Martin and CNN International Reporter Christiane Amanpour denounced in The Oprah Winfrey Show what they coined as the world's most horrendous man made disaster: the trafficking and prostitution of children, an industry that generates $10 billion dollars, a lucrative market only surpassed by the drug and arms trafficking.

At the end of the show, Oprah exhorted viewers to write to their Congressmen demanding that this tragedy be formally recognized and that priority be given to eradicate the sexual commercial exploitation of children. Last week, the television hostess announced with great enthusiasm that on January 10th, President Bush signed the law that will provide assistance to the victims and will bring to justice clients and human traffickers alike.

"It is historical," said Oprah regarding the effectiveness of Martin's and Amanpour call to action among viewers after denouncing such a dreadful crime during her show. According to The U.S. Department of Justice it is estimated that between 600,000 to 800,000 persons are victims of human trafficking across international borders, while millions others fall victim within their own countries. In the latter category, it is estimated that between 14,500 and 17,500 take place in U.S. territory.

"The signing of this bipartisan bill reflects compassion, compromise and awareness. Child sex traffickers use their victims as merchandise that they unscrupulously sell and which consumers submit to the most despicable acts, stealing them of their childhood, their innocence," Martin said.

The Law, (H. R. 972, Trafficking Victims and Reauthorization Act of 2005) requires The United Status International Development Agency, The Department of State, and The Defense Department, to incorporate in their humanitarian aid programs in emergency and post war scenarios, protective measures to avoid trafficking between this vulnerable population, specially that of women and children.

The Goodwill Ambassador to UNICEF, added that the new law, not only will "frustrate the efforts" of those in the business, but also the end-user, who will be held equally accountable. Besides making such practice a crime, The US Department of Justice was instructed to analyze twice a year sexual commercial exploitation statistics in the United States. The legislation will also provide services similar to those currently supported by The Ricky Martin Foundation, whose mission as a facilitator is to advocate for children's rights and to enforce them by means of awareness campaigns, lobbying efforts and forging multisectorial alliances that bring welfare and protection to this most vulnerable population.

"It is vital to be part of this coalition. With this new legislation we have more tools to reincorporate the victims to society. I sincerely thank my peers for taking a stance on behalf of the victims. It was simply extraordinary," Martin emphasized. The Ricky Martin Foundation is already studying the scope of the law to determine the future plan of action.

The difference between human trafficking & Human smuggling:

Human smuggling refers to services provided to migrants in order for them to cross the borders illegally. While, smuggling is primarily understood as a crime against the state, and trafficking refers to the commitment of a crime against a person. According to the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime in 2002, "trafficking in persons' shall mean the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harbouring receipt of persons, by means of the threat or use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent of a person having control over another purpose, for the purpose of exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation, forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery, servitude or the removal of organs".

Source: Trafficking Women & Children: Overcoming the Illegal Sex Trade (Heather Montgomery, Zosa de Sas Kropwinicki & Roz Evans)/ a joint effort of The Suzanne Mubarak Women's International Peace Movement & University of Oxford, Refugee Studies Centre. Compiled by The Ricky Martin Foundation (www.rickymartinfoundation.org)