TERRA.WIRE
US Senate debates new steps against smuggling tsunami-hit children
 WASHINGTON (AFP) Feb 11, 2005
 A resolution was introduced in the US Senate on Thursday seeking steps to prevent human trafficking syndicates from smuggling children orphaned by the Asian tsunami disaster.

The resolution particularly urged the United States and other countries to ratify the international "Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially in Women and Children" and the underlying UN Convention Against Transcontinental Organized Crime.

The protocol, which the administration of President George W. Bush sent to the Senate last year, would require countries to enact laws to criminalize trafficking in persons, punish traffickers and protect victims.

It would also enhance America's ability to give and receive assistance on a global basis to prevent, investigate and prosecute trafficking.

"The recent tsunami disaster has taken an incredible toll on children," said US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Dick Lugar, who introduced the resolution.

"Tens of thousands of children have lost family members and are coping with unspeakable trauma," he said. "Additionally, these children are vulnerable to being trafficked for sexual exploitation, forced labor, or to be child soldiers.

"Without their families, the children orphaned by the tsunami lack protection from predators who would profit from their tragedy," Lugar explained.

Up to 1.5 million children were affected by the December 26 tsunami that ravaged a dozen nations along the Indian Ocean coast, according to the United Nations Children's Fund.

Tens of thousands lost one or both parents and many more were left homeless and hungry, it said.

The Indonesian government has banned the adoption of children from the devastated province of Aceh while other governments have stepped up surveillance to prevent trafficking rings from exploiting the social chaos produced by the tragedy.

Lugar also introduced a bill to improve the United States' ability to provide assistance to orphans and vulnerable children in developing countries.

The "Assistance for Orphans and Other Vulnerable Children in Developing Countries" bill would also authorize President Bush to support community-based organizations that provide basic care for orphans and children.