Assembly Resolution No. 828

BY: M. of A. DeStefano

MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
January 11, 2026, as Human Trafficking Awareness Day
in the State of New York

WHEREAS, Human trafficking, also referred to as trafficking in
persons, is a pervasive and insidious crime that encompasses both forced
labor and sex trafficking and continues to rob millions of individuals
around the world of their fundamental rights, freedom, and dignity; and

WHEREAS, January 11th has been recognized across the United States
as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, a time to raise awareness
about this heinous crime and to recommit to efforts to eradicate human
trafficking in all its forms; and

WHEREAS, Since 2010, each January has been designated as National
Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month by Presidential
Proclamation, reinforcing the responsibility of all governments,
institutions, and individuals to help prevent human trafficking, protect
its victims, and prosecute perpetrators; and

WHEREAS, There are an estimated 27.6 million people - adults and
children - currently subjected to human trafficking worldwide, including
within the United States and the State of New York, with traffickers
exploiting people in both hidden and visible ways, taking advantage of
conflict, displacement, economic hardship, and crises such as natural
disasters or the COVID-19 pandemic; and

WHEREAS, Traffickers use coercion, fraud, and force to compel their
victims into labor or sexual exploitation, causing lifelong trauma and
suffering while enriching transnational criminal networks and
threatening both public safety and national security; and

WHEREAS, In response, countries across the globe, including the
United States, have worked to implement the internationally recognized
"3P" paradigm - prevention of the crime, protection of victims, and
prosecution of traffickers - as outlined in the United Nations Protocol
to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, also known as
the Palermo Protocol; and

WHEREAS, As of 2024, 178 countries are parties to the Palermo
Protocol, having committed to taking concerted steps to criminalize all
forms of trafficking, protect victims, and cooperate internationally to
dismantle trafficking networks; and

WHEREAS, Despite widespread international and domestic legal
frameworks to address trafficking, the practice persists, and combating
it requires continued public awareness, vigilant enforcement,
survivor-centered support, and community engagement at every level of
government and civil society; and

WHEREAS, National Human Trafficking Awareness Day serves as a
powerful annual reminder that all people - including educators, health
professionals, service providers, law enforcement, businesses, and

everyday citizens - have a role to play in identifying and responding to
trafficking and supporting survivors on their path to healing and
justice; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim January 11, 2026, as Human
Trafficking Awareness Day in the State of New York, in alignment with
national observance, to raise awareness of the widespread nature of
human trafficking, honor the resilience of survivors, and reaffirm New
York's commitment to ending this grave violation of human rights; and be
it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to The Honorable Kathy Hochul, Governor of the State of New
York.