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PROPOSED RESOLUTION
RECOGNIZING JULY 30TH AS WORLD DAY AGAINST TRAFFICKING IN PERSON
WHEREAS, the U.S. Department of State’s 2025 fact sheet ‘Understanding Human Trafficking’ identifies “trafficking in persons”, “human trafficking”, and “modern slavery” as umbrella terms-often used interchangeably-to refer to a crime whereby traffickers exploit and profit at the expense of adults or children by compelling them to perform labor or engage in commercial sex; and
WHEREAS, U.S. Department of State further identifies that both labor and sex trafficking entails the use of force, fraud, or coercion that exploits the labor or services of another person or to compel their engagement in a commercial sex act; and
WHEREAS, World Day Against Trafficking in Persons is an annual event globally observed on July 30th; and
WHEREAS, the day was established on December 18, 2013, by the United Nations General Assembly with the desire to raise awareness, promote the protection of the rights of trafficking victims, and encourage governments, organizations, and individuals to prevent and combat trafficking in persons; and
WHEREAS, 2026’s yearly theme “Trapped Behind the Scam" highlights a rapidly expanding form of human trafficking where transnational organized crime groups exploit people to carry out industrial-scale financial fraud and victims are trafficked for forced criminality and compelled to participate in online scam operations; and
WHEREAS, this form of exploitation is closely linked to cybercrime, financial fraud, money laundering, and corruption, demonstrating the increasingly interconnected nature of organized crime; and
WHEREAS, with this type of trafficking, traffickers often recruit victims through fake job advertisements that promise legitimate employment opportunities abroad. Believing they are accepting genuine work, victims travel to another country only to find themselves confined in illegal scam compounds; and
WHEREAS, amid overlapping crises such as armed conflicts, pandemics, economic hardships, and environmental challenges, children are increasingly vulnerable to trafficking; and
WHEREAS, the United Nations reports that children continue to represent a significant proportion of trafficking victims worldwide, where one in three victims of human trafficking globally is a child, with girls being disproportionately affected; and
WHEREAS, additionally, according to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s (UNODC) Global Report on Trafficking in Persons (GLOTIP), children are twice as likely to face violence during trafficking than adults; and
WHEREAS, children are subjected to various forms of trafficking, including exploitation through forced labor, criminality or begging, trafficked for illegal adoption, recruitment into armed forces, and online and sexual abuse and exploitation; and
WHEREAS, identification and protection of child victims remain challenging due to underreporting, lack of awareness, inadequate resources for victim support services, and the issue of traffickers employing coercion, deception, and threats to maintain control over their victims, making it difficult for authorities to intervene; and
WHEREAS, to effectively combat this epidemic, concerted prevention efforts are needed at both national and international levels that target root causes like poverty and inequality to reduce vulnerability; and
WHEREAS, it remains essential that all work towards strengthening protection and information systems, supporting victims, and holding perpetrators accountable;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Cook County Board hereby declares July 30th World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, in recognition of its continual dedication to combatting this scourge.
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