Since CNN’s International report exposed slave trading in Libya, Congresswoman Karen Bass and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) have been among the many groups joining forces to bring about freedom and justice for slave trade victims. Recently, Bass provided the Los Angeles Sentinel with an update regarding her work on the front lines to end slave auctions in Libya, Kimberlee Buck reports:
Late last year, Bass [a National Endowment for Democracy board member] and her colleagues wrote an open letter to the Libya Ambassador, Wafa Bughaighis, indicating their outrage and urging the Libyan government to “hold smugglers, traffickers, detention center guards, and anyone else involved accountable.” This resulted in the members meeting with Ambassador Bughaighis on Friday, December 8, 2017. The meeting led to an agreement between Bughaighis and the CBC that the country must immediately end slave auctions and forced labor.
“We met with the Ambassador out of the profound concern that in this day and age, people are being sold as property,” said Rep. Bass. “The international community must operate on the assumption that we don’t need further proof; what we need is to stop it. The Ambassador has agreed to provide us a detailed update on the specifics of the Libyan investigation and will continue to work with us transparently to respond to the migrant and refugee situation. I look forward to the much-needed progress on this issue.”
