Contact: Neil Simon
neil.simon@mail.house.gov
(202) 340-7450 cell

***MEDIA ADVISORY***

Anti-Trafficking Heroes to Be Honored at U.S. Capitol
Florida replica truck that held slaves in 2008 to be displayed on National Mall

WHO: Senator Benjamin L. Cardin (D-MD), Chairman, U.S. Helsinki Commission, Rep. Alcee L. Hastings (D-FL), Co-Chairma, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Ranking Republican Member, Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, State Department Office to Monitor & CombatTrafficking In Persons

Heroes Acting to End Modern-Day Slavery: Laura Germino, Coalition of Immokalee Workers, Immokalee, Florida
Other heroes from Brazil, Burundi, Hungary, India, Jordan and Mauritania

WHAT: In time with the State Department’s annual release of its Trafficking in Persons report, leaders of the U.S. Helsinki Commission who have championed anti-trafficking efforts in the U.S Congress and abroad will honor heroes who have worked to end modern day-slavery and sex trafficking practices.

VISUAL: The Moderan-Day Slavery Museum — a walk-in replica of a truck that imprisoned farm workers in Florida in 2008 will be on display and available for interactive live shots with heroes, lawmakers, or Amb. CdeBaca.

WHEN:

-Flexible: Interviews and live shots available on request from the truck location
-Lawmakers and heroes speeches at 12:15 p.m. at H-137 U.S. Capitol
-Public viewing of the truck Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 7 pm

WHERE:

-Truck to be located on the National Mall between 3rd and 4th Streets
-Lawmakers and heroes luncheon at H-137 U.S. Capitol

Laura Germino coordinates the Anti-Slavery Campaign for the Florida-based Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a community organization of more than 4,000 migrant farm workers that has investigated numerous violent slavery operations in the agricultural industry of the southeastern United States, resulting in federal prosecutions of the ringleaders and the liberation of more than 1,000 workers.

###

The Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe, also known as the U.S. Helsinki Commission, is an independent agency of the Federal Government charged with monitoring compliance with the Helsinki Accords and advancing comprehensive security through promotion of human rights, democracy, and economic, environmental and military cooperation in 56 countries. The Commission consists of nine members from the U.S. Senate, nine from the House of Representatives, and one member each from the Departments of State, Defense, and Commerce.