
Friday, June 12 2015
Last week Congress passed the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015. This follows a series of laws that have been passed to align the penalties for trafficking human beings with the brutality of the crime. In a nutshell, this legislation provides greater benefits to U.S. citizens and permanent resident who are victims of severe forms of trafficking, expands programs that assist law enforcement with recovering child victims, and provides for enhanced services. Nationally, we are chugging along in the right direction. However, it is important to remember that anti-trafficking legislation is not a panacea for commercial sexual exploitation. It is a tool that our community will use to help victims and hold pimps and traffickers accountable, but it cannot carry the burden of preventing the exploitation of young or vulnerable members of our community.
We need to listen – and ACT on the information we receive from survivors. We need to employ poor young women and vulnerable women with a “jobs first” mentality. We need to create training programs that have stipends, childcare options, and social support. We need to develop apprenticeship programs that offer housing. We need to provide at-risk women with services that help them acquire enough social capital to move away from the edge. And while we are here, we must house homeless youth with a sense of urgency that reflects our understanding of the risk this population faces. This is prevention. This is the work on the ground. Legislation can provide a funding stream for “enhanced services” but preventing the commercial sexual exploitation of women will take both a commitment and a willingness to use the funding in creative ways that can make a difference.
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