h/t: Political Conservatives

“Thousands of human trafficking victims are being held in often deplorable conditions in cities and towns throughout America. Let there be no mistake: human trafficking is modern-day slavery,” Maloney said. “The bipartisan Wilberforce Act will dramatically strengthen our efforts to fight human trafficking, giving prosecutors the tools they need to hold traffickers accountable and providing a helping hand to victims, as well.”

It is estimated that 800,000 people, mostly women and children, are trafficked across international boundaries every year. Millions more are believed to be trafficked within their own country.

The state of Iowa had earlier passed its own anti-trafficking act. Yesterday the first person convicted under that act was sentenced to 25 years’ imprisonment for enticing two teenage girls into prostitution.

Prosecutors allege [Leonard Ray] Russell took the girls to Davenport, Denison and Rockford, Ill., and had them perform at strip clubs and engage in prostitution over several days. The girls were 15 and 16 at the time.

Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said the case helped prosecutors understand that human trafficking is more common than they realized.

Marcia Ryan was arrested along with Russell and faces the same charges. She is alleged to have supplied the girls with illicit drugs and alcohol.

While he praised his close ally, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia, Mr Bush effectively challenged the strict Islamic kingdom’s outlawing of apostasy, or change of religion.

Addressing the UN General Assembly, he said that the UN Declaration of Human Rights, adopted 60 years ago, enshrines “the right to choose or change religions and the right to worship in private or public”.

Mr Bush added: “Freedom includes the right of all people to worship as they see fit.”

Saudi Arabia is far from the only country in which apostasy is illegal. Fifteen Muslim-majority countries outlaw converting from Islam to some other religion.