U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R-OH) now heads up the fight in Congress to end international human trafficking and modern slavery, former U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) announced on Dec. 28.
“For years, Senator Portman has been a champion in Congress in the fight against human trafficking here at home, and I can think of no one better to take up the mantle in the global fight against this scourge on humanity as I depart the Senate,” said Sen. Corker, who lost his Senate seat during the November 2018 midterm elections and last month returned home.
More than 27 million people are enslaved around the world, the largest number recorded in history, according to a Dec. 28 statement released by Sen. Portman’s office.
“Over the past decade we have made progress but there is much more to do both in the U.S. and in other countries to help end this scourge once and for all,” Sen. Portman said.
Since being elected in 2010, Sen. Portman has authored six federal anti-trafficking laws, including the most-recent Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act of 2017, S. 1693, the related Senate bill to the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017, H.R. 1865, which became law in April 2018 with the president’s signature.
The law provides sex trafficking victims with tools to hold accountable websites that knowingly facilitate the online trafficking of women and children, according to Portman’s statement.
Sen. Portman noted that he is “honored that Senator Corker has entrusted me with this role and I want to thank him for his tireless and courageous efforts to combat this horrific crime around the globe.”
Sen. Corker said he plans “to continue to play a role in this fight as a private citizen,” adding that he’s “incredibly grateful that Rob has agreed to take the helm in Congress to ensure this important work continues as we strive to end modern slavery once and for all.”