Governor Spitzer and NYS Legislative Leaders Agree

ALBANY, NY (05/17/2007)(readMedia)-- After three years of lobbying efforts by the NYS Anti-Trafficking Coalition, New Yorkers will finally see legislation to end human trafficking.

As part of the coalition, The National Organization for Women (NOW)-New York State and NOW chapters across this state have worked to educate and mobilize members, urging the NYS Legislators to take this issue seriously.

What remains to be seen, however, is the final outcome of this agreement. The National Organization for Women-New York State has urged legislators to come up with comprehensive legislation that will be strong on services for victims, while increasing penalties for the traffickers and patrons.

"Strong laws to punish traffickers are long overdue. New York State has lagged behind several states in passing anti-trafficking legislation. We have known for a long time that cities in New York State (NYC, Buffalo, and cities on Long Island) have been major hubs for trafficking of poor and young women. Traffickers dangle the carrot of the ‘American Dream’ in the faces of the victims. When victims finally stand on U.S. soil, they believe they have arrived at a better place only to find that they are forced into sexual and/or labor servitude. Finally, we will have legislation that will protect the victim and punish the trafficker,” said Marcia Pappas, President of NOW New York State.

Several organizations have joined together to end trafficking in New York State. Today, we see the fruits of our labor while continuing to educate communities to set up neighborhood watches in order to catch traffickers who seek to exploit women and girls for monetary gain. See www.nownys.org to view the anti-trafficking campaign.

The National Organization for Women is the largest women’s rights organization in the United States, with over 500,000 contributing members who seek to advance the rights of all women. NOW-New York State is supported by 40,000 contributing members who work to eliminate discrimination, secure reproductive choice, and end violence against women.

National Organization for Women-New York State 1500 Central Avenue Albany, NY 12205 Phone: 518-452-3944, Fax: 518-452-3861 www.nownys.org Email: NewYorkStateNOW@aol.com

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