House Passes Five Bills to Combat Sex Trafficking and Support Victims

WASHINGTON – Tuesday afternoon the House of Representatives passed a number of bipartisan bills to address sex trafficking. Sex trafficking is a major domestic and international problem. The House passed five bills addressing sex trafficking. These bills included the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act, which was cosponsored by Congressman John K. Delaney (MD-6).   

“Sex trafficking and the abuse and exploitation of young children is a global problem. Sadly, the United States is not immune to this despicable practice,” said Congressman Delaney. “There’s no one solution, but there are a number of commonsense steps we can take to help law enforcement, empower victims, and crack down on the perpetrators of these despicable acts. As the father of four daughters, I’m extremely proud of the actions taken by the House of Representatives today.”

According to government estimates, approximately 100,000 children are victims of trafficking within the United States each year. The United Nations estimates that 27% of all trafficking victims globally are children. For more information on sex trafficking from the Congressional Research Service, click here.

The House passed the following:

• The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (H.R. 3530): allows the Justice Department to provide grants to state and local agencies to develop or expand efforts to fight sex trafficking. This legislation also updates federal criminal statues to allow wiretapping in trafficking and child pornography investigation.
• The Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act (H.R. 3610): encourages states to enact “safe harbor” laws that would treat minors involved in trafficking and commercial sex as victims, rather than as criminals. This legislation is cosponsored by Congressman Delaney.
• The Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation (H.R. 4225): prohibits advertisements containing offers for commercial sex acts with a child or with an adult involved through force or fraud.
• The Preventing Sex Trafficking and Improving Opportunities for Youth in Foster Care Act (H.R. 4058): requires states to adopt measures to prevent sex trafficking among at-risk youth in foster care.
• International Megan’s Law to Prevent Demand for Child Sex Trafficking (H.R. 4573): requires federal law enforcement officials to notify other nations of the international travel of registered child-sex offenders in the United States.  

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