NewsFlash

"While Washington obsesses over Iraq, there's another war brewing that should draw our leaders' anger and attention...It's the worldwide sex trade...In recent years, this trafficking in human life has drawn attention but little direct action...But now the Bush Administration wants to break this do-nothing log-jam...Attorney General John Ashcroft...plans to issue special 'trafficking visas' to victims brought to this country who escape from captors...more money will be spent on medical, legal, psychological and other resettlement services...the administration may also invoke sanctions against countries that permit human trafficking....These steps could seriously disrupt the sex trade both in this country and overseas. But it will take a united effort linking Washington with other countries in pooling law enforcement and intelligence to finish the job. This commerce in human bodies amounts to terrorism in its lawless disregard for human dignity. It's a war on women and the poor and unprotected in the world. Washington should follow through on its pledges to press the fight."

--San Francisco Chronicle Editorial, "No Tolerance for Growing Sex Trade," March 2, 2003

"We are writing to express our concern about the case of Rodi Alvarado...and the pending issuance of regulations that would threaten the ability of women and girls to seek asylum in the United States...We are concerned by reports that the Administration plans to reinstate the decision to deny asylum to Ms. Alvarado and issue new regulations that would reverse current policy and drastically reduce the scope of claims based on gender-related persecution. Reversal of the current policy not only ignores widely-accepted international human rights standards, but also puts the United States in conflict with recent United Nations High Commissioner on Refugee guidelines on gender persecution and out of step with developed countries that recognize government-tolerated gender-related violence as a basis for asylum, including Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand. Women fleeing gender-based violence would, in effect, have little or no protection in the United States. As a result, Ms. Alvarado's life and the lives of countless other women and girls would be in jeopardy."

--Senators Edward Kennedy (D-MA) and Joseph Biden (D-DE) in a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge, March 12, 2003

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