Urge US Congress to Pass the District of Columbia Anti-Trafficking Bill 18-70

On June 21st Mayor Fenty, District of Columbia, signed the Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Act (Bill 18-70) and the bill will now move to Congress for approval.  This bill follows federal law in criminalizing both labor and sex trafficking and provides severe penalties for those who traffic any person, or who knowingly benefit from the crime.  It also provides crucial assistance to victims, including access to a victim advocate, and allows victims to bring a civil cases against his/her trafficker.  The bill requires the District to collect and publish statistical data on trafficking to better equip authorities in responding to the crime. In addition, the bill criminalizes the possession of child pornography, a loophole in current law.

Washington DC is a destination and source location for human trafficking.  Victims include U.S. citizens and foreign nationals who are forced or coerced to provide labor, from domestic servitude to labor operations to various service industries; or commercial sex in hotels, brothels, and on the street.  Victims face a horrific life with little hope of escape in which they are repeatedly threatened, beaten, raped, isolated, psychologically abused, or subjected to debt bondage.  These crimes are committed for one reason: the financial profit of traffickers. While the details of each case are unique, please consider these two typical examples of human trafficking, adapted from real cases in Washington D.C.

Background Information and Talking Points

Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Act of 2010 Council Member's Brief: Up to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the U.S. every year, amid even higher numbers of potential U.S. citizen victims and estimated 200,000 American children are at high risk of being trafficked into the sex industry.Current D.C. law allows modern slave traffickers to get light sentences, which fail to match the severity of their crimes, and even escape punishment completely.  These lax laws provide fertile ground to traffickers.The majority of states have passed human trafficking laws, and in 2010 Maryland and Virginia enacted stronger laws in their jurisdiction.  It is time for D.C. to act.The public and law enforcement must be educated about human trafficking and what to do about it when they find it.  Encourage your council member to mandate posting of the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline in establishments throughout the city. 

The Prohibition Against Human Trafficking Act of 2009 (Bill 18-70), passed the full DC Council unanimously and was signed by the Mayor on June 21st. Congress now has 60 days to review the bill.  

SEE WASHINGTON D.C. CASE STUDIES.

OTHER WAYS TO HELP
1. Take the pledge to vote for Free Generation International to receive a $20,000 donation from Chase Bank.  They need your vote on Facebook.  I don't have $20,000 to donate against human trafficking, but Chase Bank does with your vote.

Recent Signatures