The annual 2006 Trafficking in Persons report estimates that 800,000 people were victims of human trafficking leading to virtual slavery last year. These victims are found all over the world, including the continental United States and Hawai'i.

At about the same time that these figures were released, 14 women legislators from around the world were meeting in Washington, D.C. as part of the GlobalPOWER initiative of the Center for Women Policy Studies. I was fortunate to be included as one of the five U.S. state legislators invited.

American colleagues at the GlobalPOWER Conference came from Washington state, Arkansas, Idaho and Hawai'i. The former three states have been successful in passing anti-trafficking laws in recent legislative sessions. In Hawai'i, we await the governor's decision on House Bill 2051, which would create an anti-trafficking task force to look at state law and determine how we can best bring together our diverse resources to deal with the problem.

Our goal was to create an international network in order to share experiences, learn from each other's legislative efforts and to communicate the anti-trafficking message worldwide. Our mission was to devise strategies to address international trafficking of women and girls across borders within the context of women's human rights.

The United States and countries such as Austria are usually receiver countries for traffickers.

In Germany, the National Council of German Women's Organizations launched a $90,000 awareness campaign. Prostitution is legal in Germany, and leaders of the council hope an anti-trafficking campaign during the high-profile event might help put sex trafficking higher on the political agenda. The Trafficking in Persons report, which was released on June 5, put Germany in the top ranking for 2006 because of the efforts of the council and Germany's record of prosecuting criminals.

Interaction among the 14 legislators was facilitated by the staff of the center; however, it was interesting that every woman in attendance had a high degree of fluency in English. We were able to relate to each other despite wide gaps in culture and tradition.

We learned much from each other and found that although laws are present against trafficking in many countries, they are often not implemented, nor are penalties stiff enough. We viewed the film "Vienna Tribunal," which was a graphic illustration of the horrors of trafficking, and agreed that it affects us all.

The underlying problem, and a strong catalyst for trafficking, is the poverty that exists in many of the former Soviet bloc countries and countries that are in early stages of development. While globalization has been a positive factor worldwide in many ways, it has played a role in the development of the trafficking industry as well. For example, large manufacturing plants have destroyed the viability of micro-enterprises established by village women.

Among the women present at the conference were legislators from Lithuania, Georgia (in the Caucasus), Mexico, Indonesia, India and Cambodia. In these countries, trafficking is a major problem because the existing poverty makes victims vulnerable to promises of job opportunities abroad. These may turn out to be the beginning of a life of prostitution, hard labor, domestic servitude or war. From India, many children are trafficked to Middle Eastern countries such as Saudi Arabia.

Women from the African nations of Zimbabwe and Tanzania told of the horrors of HIV/AIDS, which has created thousands of orphans. These children are prey to in-country traffickers who sell them into sexual or labor slavery. The plight of the orphans is heart-wrenching, as are the statistics for HIV/AIDS, which show up in 50 percent of the population affected.

On June 5, 2006, a news release from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice "reaffirmed America's commitment to stop modern-day slavery." Gov. Linda Lingle should sign HB2051 in support of this effort. Although the Trafficking in Persons report is available, our knowledge of the problem in Hawai'i is, at best, sketchy.

It would be to our great advantage to go forward with the task force and find ways to change our state laws so that they work in concert with the international effort to eliminate this scourge.

Marilyn Lee represents District 38 (Mililani, Mililani Mauka) in the state House of Representatives. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.