Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Motivation to Act


For decades, the issue of international involvement has been a highly disputed topic in American politics. If a foreign nation is acting in a way contrary to what we deem moral, at what point do we have a responsibility as human citizens to stand up for the fair treatment of others? Many argue that governments of foreign nations have the right to deal with their own people as they see fit. That it isn’t our responsibility, as a diplomatic nation, to step in and defend the rights of those in other countries?

But what about when the people being wronged are our own?

Last year, there were 1900 calls to the National Trafficking Hotline from Texas alone, yielding 353 cases in which there was an instance of human trafficking in Texas. This means that 353 human beings were being bought and sold for sex or labor in the state we call home. Shouldn’t this alarming statistic be enough to propel legislators to action?

In the 2013 Texas state legislature, several pieces of legislation aimed at fighting this domestic issue are stuck in the committee stage. HB 91 is currently awaiting action by the House Judiciary and Civil Jurisprudence Committee, as is SB 92. As the 2013 session of the Texas State Legislature winds down, it is hard to say if these pieces of legislation will ever get out of committee to be voted on by the House.

This issue should, however, motivate prompt action.

Rachel Adcock
Blog Post 5 

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