The Vital Role of ATEST in Today’s Policy Environment Feb 15, 2017 | Compensation and Hours, Forced Labor and Human Trafficking, Freedom of Association, Freedom of Movement, Migrant Workers During these times of significant policy changes, we want to highlight our work with a coalition that is fundamental to addressing the issue of human trafficking. Since 2011 Verité has been a proud member of the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST), a coalition of organizations working to end modern-day slavery and human trafficking in the United States and around the world. While eradicating modern-day slavery has always been a bi-partisan issue, the start of a new administration provides the opportunity to raise awareness about this vitally important issue and to educate new members of Congress and their staffs on what they can do. That is why every four years ATEST releases a memo to the administration outlining specific recommendations. ATEST’s report, “A Presidential Agenda for Abolishing Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking,” outlines four key areas of concern and 20 specific recommendations for the new administration. The four categories are: Protect Workers Through Trade Policy and Enforcement of Core Labor Laws Protect Trafficking Survivors and Populations Vulnerable to Trafficking Promote Effective, Victim-Responsive Law Enforcement Build a More Efficient Government Response to Human Trafficking Recommendations include enforcing the amended Section 307 of the Tariff Act, which empowers Customs and Border Protection to stop shipments of goods produced with forced labor at US borders; reauthorizing the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), which strengthens and upholds federal anti-trafficking laws and calls for important anti-trafficking programming; reforming the guest worker visa program; separating labor enforcement policies and practices from immigration enforcement; and supporting the critical work of the Department of Labor’s International Labor Affairs Bureau (ILAB) and the Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor (DRL) and Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (J/TIP), which together work to build the capacity of foreign governments and civil society to better address egregious labor abuses like forced labor, human trafficking, and child labor. In order to support these important US government efforts to end human trafficking, ATEST advocates for increasing funding for ILAB, J/TIP, and DRL. Verité is hopeful that, with its colleagues in ATEST, we can successfully defend and perhaps even build upon the strong policy frameworks that both Democratic and Republican administrations and congresses have created over the past two decades. News Archives News Archives Select Month December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 September 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 July 2014 March 2014 September 2013 July 2013 April 2013 January 2013 September 2012 June 2012 Search for: Share this:TwitterFacebook