Maryknoll Sisters were among the founders of ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes). ECPAT-USA asks those of us in the U.S. to contact our senators and urge their support of S. 1738, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which has already passed the House of Representatives.
S. 1738 includes a range of improvements to existing law, for example these three that would especially assist the fight against the sex trafficking of children:
1. It clarifies current law and codifies court decisions that the conduct of buyers who “solicit” and “patronize” commercial sex with a child are committing the crime of sex trafficking. Buyers of sex acts with children fuel the sex trafficking markets; without demand, traffickers will lose their profits and countless children will be spared the horrors of sexual exploitation.
2. Authorizes state and local law enforcement to obtain wiretaps in state courts, without federal approval, to investigate trafficking and CSEC offenses more effectively.
3. Increases human trafficking identification and reporting by giving a way to citizens and lawful permanent residents who are victims of human trafficking to obtain official recognition of their status, and requiring regular reporting on the number of human trafficking crimes in the Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
The bill already has 28 co-sponsors, listed here. If your senator is NOT listed, please use this link to send him/her a letter, urging support of S. 1738. (It's always a good idea to thank the co-sponsors for their support, too.)
Co-sponsors (as of Oct. 7, 2014) of S. 1738:
Alaska
Mark Begich, D
Arkansas
John Boozman, R
Mark Pryor, D
California
Dianne Feinstein, D
Delaware
Christopher Coons, D
Florida
Marco Rubio, R
Idaho
Mike Crapo, R
Illinois
Mark Kirk, R
Indiana
Daniel Coats, R
Maine
Susan Collins, R
Minnesota
Al Franken, D
Amy Klobuchar, D
Mississippi
Roger Wicker, R
Nebraska
Deb Fischer, R
Mike Johanns, R
New Mexico
Tom Udall, D
New York
Kirsten Gillibrand, D
North Dakota
Heidi Heitkamp, D
John Hoeven, R
Oregon
Ron Wyden, D
Pennsylvania
Bob Casey, D
Pat Toomey, R
South Carolina
Lindsey Graham, R
Tim Scott, R
South Dakota
John Thune, R
Texas
John Cornyn, R (sponsor)
Virginia
Mark Warner, D
Wisconsin
Ron Johnson, R