Monday, January 19th, 2009 Testimony before the Judiciary House Committee of the 61st Legislative Assembly of North Dakota, on House Bill No. 1185, A Bill For An Act To Create and Enact a New Chapter to Title 12.1 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to Human Trafficking, and to Provide a Penalty
Patrick J. Atkinson
Founder, International Executive Director
Institute for Trafficked, Exploited & Missing Persons
The GOD'S CHILD Project
Post Office Box 1573
Bismarck, North Dakota
www.ITEMP.org
www.GodsChild.org
I would like to begin by thanking you for allowing me for being here today. I know that your time is limited and very valuable, and I appreciate your consideration.
My name is Patrick Atkinson. I am a Bismarck, North Dakota native, and for the past 30 years I have worked directly with victims of human trafficking in Southeast Asia, Africa, Central America, The United States of America, and yes, right here in North Dakota.
My current work in this area is principally through the Institute for Trafficked, Exploited & Missing Persons and The GOD'S CHILD Project (www.GodsChild.org). In this, we work regularly with the Homeland Security, the United States State Department, different American Embassies, and national governments.
When we think of human trafficking, we think of something that happened a long time ago and in places far away. A lot of people, MOST people, perhaps, are under the impression that human trafficking ended with the signing of the Emancipation Proclamation on September 24th, 1862 when 4,000,000 slaves in America were set free.
In fact, it didn't. To the contrary, human trafficking has grown to where today it is the 3rd most lucrative illicit business in the world, following only the international arms and drug trades.
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