Assembly Resolution No. 1362

BY: M. of A. Rules (Bichotte)

URGING the New York State Congressional delegation
to support the passage of H.R. 644, strongly
condemning the slave auctions of migrants and
refugees in Libya

WHEREAS, H.Res.644, introduced in the House on December 4, 2017,
strongly condemns the slave auctions of migrants and refugees in Libya;
and

WHEREAS, New Yorkers have a history of diverse activism and advocacy
regarding issues of equality and civil rights at home and abroad; and

WHEREAS, New York will remain a beacon of hope and a guide for other
governments; and

WHEREAS, The world is struggling against global displacement crisis
as a result of human rights violations and economic burden; and

WHEREAS, After the death of leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, the
trafficking of African migrants rapidly increased; and

WHEREAS, The Mediterranean is considered one of the most dangerous
sea routes for refugees and migrants; in 2014, 3,500 out of 219,000
people died passing through the perilous sea; and

WHEREAS, In October of 2014, Italy revoked their successful rescue
operation, "Mare Nostrum" and replaced it with their border control
policy of "Triton" which will hugely limit the search and rescue of
migrants crossing the Mediterranean; and

WHEREAS, In March of 2016, The Thomson Reuters Foundation reported
that Libya has become a trafficking market where people are bought and
sold on daily basis; and

WHEREAS, On November 14, 2017, CNN released a shocking footage of
migrants being auctioned off into slavery; and

WHEREAS, In December of 2017, Amnesty International released a
report called, "Libya's Dark Web" which states that European Governments
are "complicit in the torture and abuse of thousands of refugees and
migrants"; and

WHEREAS, The international community is outraged at the discovery of
the Slave Trade; concerned people from around the world rallied and
protested for the end to the slave trade, and protestors have demanded
action from International officials; and

WHEREAS, The UN estimated 700,000 migrants in Libya with 70%
originally from sub-Saharan Africa; and

WHEREAS, The displacement crisis of sub-Saharan Africans obtains
little public and political attention; in 2013, less than 15,000 African

migrants and refugee were resettled to a new location from the estimated
amount of 550,000; and

WHEREAS, The Libyan Government considers only seven countries to be
in economic and social turmoil, as a result, limiting their scope of aid
to refugee and limiting the admission of vulnerable people to
governmental safe places; and

WHEREAS, In December, Amnesty International published a report that
over 20,000 refugees and migrants are being held in detention centers
operated by the Libyan government; and

WHEREAS, International migration is effective for poverty reduction;
and

WHEREAS, The European Union's efforts to control and tighten its
borders, have limited safe and legal routes for migrants; and

WHEREAS, The Europe Union's strict policies on migrants has led to
the Slave Trade; and

WHEREAS, Italy drafted an 11 point code of conduct which limits and
restricted the rescue operations of nine NGOs, whom typically operate
Libya migrant rescue transportation; and

WHEREAS, NGOs will also be banned from entering Libyan ports without
evidence of human lives at risk; they will also be forced to allow
Italian police officers to travel on broad with migrants between boats;
consequently, such a proposal will greatly limit the potential number of
people who are rescued; and

WHEREAS, Five out of nine of the NGOs have refused to sign the
proposal; the consequences for the NGOs that are not compliant with the
program is a ban from Italian ports; and

WHEREAS, Organizations such as the United Nations International
Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) and Amnesty International fear the 11
step code of conduct will interfere with humanitarian work and
neutrality; and

WHEREAS, When border control policies come under stricter laws and
regulations, people often change their routes; this increases the demand
for smugglers and, as a result, border control is not an appropriate
solution; and

WHEREAS, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean, Vincent Cochetel, stated
boats that belonged to organization for security and co-operation in
European (OSCE) nations were financing trafficking groups in exchange
for fuel; and

WHEREAS, Vincent Cochetel further stated that the successful
reduction of the migration of people toward Libya successfully would
require the acknowledgment of the cause and factors that lead to
migration; and

WHEREAS, Migrants and refugees are tortured, sexually harassed, and
abused; these refugees do not have access to legal procedures to protect

their rights, and their living conditions are generally inhumane; they
are placed in spaces with severe overcrowding and insufficient access to
toilets, washing facilities, food, and clean water; and

WHEREAS, Migrants and refugee women were reported taking
contraceptive pills before traveling to prevent pregnancy and to prepare
for rape; and

WHEREAS, Survivors have reported their captors requesting ransom
from their family members, and when the payment was not provided, they
were killed or sold off; the International Organization for Migration
(IMO) has confirmed several other migrants being in similar
circumstances; and

WHEREAS, In 2005, Human Rights Watch released the report, "A Threat
to Society: Arbitrary Detention of Women and Girls for Rehabilitation"
which documents the violation and abuse of migrants and refugee women
and girls; and

WHEREAS, The UNICEF reported that migrant children suffered
enslavement, horrific violence, and sexual exploitation; and

WHEREAS, The humanitarian group, Human Rights Watch's access to
migrants and refugees was repelled after their interview with migrants
and refugees from prisons and deportation centers; Italy has also
refused Human Rights Watch access to detention camps where migrants and
refugees are being held; and

WHEREAS, In January of 2017, President Donald Trump issued an
executive order to reduce the refugee admission from 110,000 to 50,000
and to suspend the refugee program; the limit is the lowest reduction
implemented by any White House Official; and

WHEREAS, On December 4, 2017, The Honorable Representative Bass
Karen introduced Resolution 644 which condemns the slave auction of
migrants and refugees in Libya and supports efforts to halt the Slave
Trade in Libya; she has received support from her colleagues in the
United States Congress, and numerous government officials are sponsored
on the resolution; and

WHEREAS, On December 1, 2017, the influential leader Thomas Dexter
Jake also known as Bishop TD Jakes, condemned the human trafficking in
Libya; with the use of social media, he urges the global community to
undergo an investigation and also advised more leaders to denounce the
Slave Trade publicly; and

WHEREAS, Poverty and exploitation fuel the migration of refugees to
Libya; and

WHEREAS, The UN reported that a higher rate of people are being
displaced from their homes as a result of war, natural disasters, and
persecution, than any other time in the organization's history; and

WHEREAS, UNHCR announced that displacement reached a record high of
65.3 million people in 2015, and 21.3 million of these people were
refugees; and

WHEREAS, Libya's exploitation and forced returns of refugees
breaches the Constitutional Proclamation from 1969, which states, "the
extradition of political refugees is prohibited"; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
join the international community in condemning slave auctions of
migrants and refugees in Libya; and hold every participating party
accountable; and be it further

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause further to provide aid to
the refugee and migrant population affected by the Slave Trade; allocate
funds to an organization which provides aid to migrants in Libya; urge
the United States to increase their resettlement placement for migrants
suffering from the Libyan slavery; urge the European Union to implement
humane border control; urge the European Union to call upon Italy to
edit or remove its 11 point code of conduct; urge the European Union to
halt the support of Libyan official in detaining refugees and containing
people in Libya; urge the European Union to provide aid and support for
victims of the Slave Trade; urge Libya to detain members who are
responsible and participated in the Slave Trade; urge European
politicians to adjusts their anti-migration narrative and include more
inclusive and progressive narratives that aid in the world displacement
problem; and urge the Libyan government to expand their protection of
refugees to people from countries beyond Ethiopia, Sudan, Eritrea,
Syria, Palestine, and Iraq; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Government of Libya, the United Nations, the African
Union, the European Union, Italy, the Secretary of State, the
Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development,
and the President of the United States.