Aid Workers Urge US Congress to Change Law on Body Part Sales

WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES, September 14, 2023/EINPresswire.com/ -- Experts on child trafficking will testify Tuesday, Sept. 19 at the U.S. Capitol to warn legislators about the dangers of unregulated sales of human body parts — organ trafficking. Relief workers will point to a disturbing trend in parts of Africa: child sacrifice to harvest organs and body parts.

Current U.S. federal laws forbid human trafficking and the sale of organs intended for organ transplant, but few regulations oversee the sale of human body parts not intended for transplant. World Hope International, a U.S.-based nonprofit Christian relief organization with staff in Sierra Leone, Liberia and other parts of Africa, will advocate for a provision to current U.S. laws to include body part removal.

“Organ harvesting and trafficking is unimaginable to most Americans, but it’s a legitimate fear for families in parts of the world like Sierra Leone,” said Katie Milazzo, a World Hope International protection specialist for West Africa. “We are illuminating this very real issue that is continuing with regularity, and we are helping people stay safe, holding lawbreakers accountable and advocating for the rights of all.”

Witch doctors, a subset of “traditional healers” common in sub-Saharan Africa, are profiting from child sacrifice in an unregulated market for body parts, Milazzo said. Clients pay witch doctors to cast spells with harvested body parts, which they believe bring good luck.

World Hope International is one of several humanitarian groups that will provide witness testimony during Tuesday’s House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee Hearing: Efforts to Address Ritual Abuse and Sacrifice in Africa.

Milazzo said she hopes the hearing moves the subcommittee and U.S. citizens to demand protections that stop child sacrifice and stop organ trafficking throughout the world.

Members of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations are Reps.:

• Christopher Smith, R-N.J., chair
• Susan Wild, D-Penn., ranking member
• Maria Elvira Salazar, R-Fla.
• Amata Radewagen, R-American Samoa
• French Hill, R-Ark.
• Rick McCormick, R-Ga.
• John James, R-Mich.

To watch the hearing live at 10 a.m. EDT Tuesday, Sept. 19, read a survivor’s story and learn more about organ trafficking and child sacrifice in Africa, visit stopchildsacrifice.org.

About World Hope International
World Hope International is a nonprofit humanitarian organization that works with vulnerable and exploited communities to alleviate poverty, suffering and injustice around the globe. It brings opportunity, dignity and hope to families and communities through market-based, community-driven solutions and provides emergency disaster response. Programs focus on: bringing clean water and energy solutions; offering health care, nutrition and disease prevention; and protecting the world’s most vulnerable from abuse and exploitation.

About the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Global health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations
The Subcommittee on Global Health, Global Human Rights and International Organizations oversees: international health issues, including transboundary infectious diseases, maternal health and child survival, and programs related to the global ability to address health issues; population issues; the UN and its affiliated agencies (excluding peacekeeping and enforcement of UN or other international sanctions); the American Red Cross; and the Peace Corps. In addition, legislation and oversight pertaining to: implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; other matters relating to internationally recognized human rights, including legislation aimed at the promotion of human rights and democracy generally; the Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction and related issues; and matters as the chairman of the full committee may determine.

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Kristen Wright
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kristen@kwstrategic.com
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