On June 27, the House International Relations Committee approved, by unanimous consent, several measures, including a resolution (H. Res. 860) that would call on the German government to take immediate action to combat sex trafficking associated with the 2006 World Cup. The bill was approved by the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights, and International Operations on June 22 (see The Source, 6/23/06).
Resolution sponsor Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) said in a press statement, “There is an inherent contradiction in Germany’s policies. On the one hand, the German government says it wants to reduce exploitation of women through anti-trafficking programs, but at the same time its legalization of prostitution fuels the demand for sexual services which inevitably results in the exploitation of women, mostly from Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union.”
Also approved was a resolution (H. Res. 844) congratulating the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative for ten years of “significant achievement.” Sponsored by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), H. Res. 844 acknowledges the role of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative in raising awareness and support for HIV/AIDS vaccine research, and notes that the initiative’s “inclusive approach unites scientists, academics, nonprofit organizations, and governments from the north and south, including communities of faith, communities of color, and many others, in an effort to develop a vaccine to stop global HIV infection rates of 14,000 a day.”
