Last year, the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2011 -- which would help alleviate the shelter crisis for sex trafficked kids in the U.S. -- was days away from becoming law. Unfortunately, the legislation was blocked at the last minute by Alabama Senator Jeffrey Sessions, after Concerned Women for America wrote a letter to Congress saying kids who have been raped and forced into prostitution should be arrested. Now, the Victims Support Act and the thousands of children it will help have another chance ... until March 30.
The Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act would provide critical resources for the over 100,000 children sex trafficked in the U.S. every year. Child sex trafficking victims experience violent trauma, manipulation, and are often arrested and detained in juvenile detention. They need safe places like shelters to recover from that abuse. But there are only a handful of shelter beds in the whole country for child sex trafficking victims. Right now, there aren't enough aftercare facilities to serve even 1% of the estimated victims of child sex trafficking in the U.S. The lack of shelter for child trafficking victims is truly a national crisis.
Last year, the legislation unanimously passed the Senate, but when it arrived in the House, it languished in the Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime until two days before the end of the session. Before it was returned, however, the House removed two Senate amendments added by Senator Sessions. As the bill no longer contained his amendments, Sessions refused to let the bill go to a final vote, which almost surely would have resulted in its passage. For awhile, anti-trafficking advocates wondered if the bill could be revived.
Fortunately, it has been, and now is being presented to Congress again. This time, anti-trafficking organization Polaris Project and thousands of other activists are refusing to let the Victims Support Act die for good. They're organizing grassroots supporters to get in touch with key members of Congress and advocate for the Victims Support Act to become law.
You can join them by signing this petition and making sure Congress knows there is broad support for providing shelter to child sex trafficking victims. Or, find out more at Polaris Project's Action Center.
Photo credit: Alyssa A. Miller
Amanda Kloer is a Change.org Editor and has been a full-time abolitionist in several capacities for seven years. Follow her on Twitter @endhumantraffic RELATED PETITION
Urge Your Rep. to Support the Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2011!
SIGN PETITIONChild Sex Trafficking Victims Get Second Chance from Congress | Change.org News
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