Please Support the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act!
November 17th is National (Call-In) Day of Action to help pass H.R. 5575, the “Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010,” a bi-partisan bill that seeks to combat and address the sex trafficking of children across America. The bill authorizes the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Justice Programs to award six one-year block grants (renewable up to three years) of $2.5 million each to eligible entities in different regions of the United States that have a significant sex trafficking problem. This bill creates a victim-centered approach toward addressing child sex trafficking. Call today to support this critical legislation.
Human trafficking is a steadily rising problem in the United States, and many times involves children who are forced or coerced into prostitution. Minors in the United States are especially vulnerable for sexual exploitation and sex trafficking; many runaways have a high risk of becoming involved in sex trafficking, and children who run away multiple times have a very high risk of engaging in prostitution. At least 100,000 children are victimized through sexual exploitation and prostitution each year. Currently, there are only a handful of beds at shelters for child sex trafficking survivors, although thousands of girls are trafficked for commercial sexual exploitation across the U.S. every day. (Learn more…)
If passed, H.R. 5575 will provide funding to create shelters for minor victims of sex trafficking, and will help treat victims through the use of restorative care services. Additionally, it will increase resources for law enforcement to arrest and prosecute the traffickers and predators that victimize children. Specifically, the grant funds within the bill will provide:
- Temporary or long-term shelter for minor victims of sex trafficking
- 24 hour emergency social services response to minor victims of sex trafficking
- Clothing and daily necessities for minor victims of sex trafficking
- Case management, substance abuse treatment, and mental health services for minor victims of sex trafficking
- Legal services for minor victims of sex trafficking
- Specialized training for law enforcement on sex trafficking
- Salaries for law enforcement
- Salaries for state and local prosecutor’s investigation and trial expenses
- Outreach and education programs
- Deterrence and prevention of sex trafficking of minors
- Treatment programs for those charged with solicitation of prostitution when treatment is an appropriate alternative to incarceration (does not include those charged with solicitation of a minor)
Taking action and being a part of the National (Call-In) Day of Action on 11/17/10 is easy:
1. Go here to find your representative in the U.S. House of Representatives and log your call.
2. Once connected, use the following script or create your own similar statement:
“Hi, my name is ________, and I am a constituent of Congress(woman/man)____________ living in [town/city]. I’m calling to urge Congress(woman/man) ______ to co-sponsor and support H.R.5575, a bi-partisan bill that seeks to combat and address the sex trafficking of children in America. I am very concerned about this issue because children are trafficked across the U.S. by the thousands every day, and, yet, there are only a handful of beds and shelters in the country to serve their needs as survivors of this heinous crime. It’s time for Congress to act. Will the Congress(woman/man) co-sponsor and support this important legislation?”
3. Don’t forget to sign the tracking petition!
Taking action on November 17 will take less than 5 minutes but collective action can provide thousands of young sex trafficking victims across the U.S. the care and support they need and deserve.
The National Day of Action is sponsored by the National Coalition to End Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (partial list): A Future. Not A Past., ECPAT-USA, Polaris Project, Rebecca Project, Shared Hope International and Women’s Funding Network.