The Virginia Catholic Conference issued an alert Oct. 26 encouraging voters to reach out to their senators in support of bipartisan anti-trafficking legislation.
After passing the U.S. House of Representatives this summer, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 awaits consideration by the U.S. Senate. The legislation “will go a long way toward protecting so many vulnerable people from exploitation while providing tremendous support and resources to victims,” said one of its sponsors, Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., when the bill passed in the House in a 401-20 vote in July.
“We must take this issue seriously and continue to implement a whole-of-government approach to addressing it,” said Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., who wrote the bill with Smith.
If the bill passes the Senate as expected, the legislation will:
— Provide more than $1.1 billion over five years to reauthorize and enhance successful programs established by Smith’s Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 such as shelters, mental health care, education, life skills and job training.
— Reauthorize Homeland Security’s Angel Watch Center codified by Smith’s International Megan’s Law of 2016 to prevent international sex tourism travel by convicted child sex offenders.
— Enhance trafficking prevention education for children by involving parents and law enforcement in age-appropriate programs to assist in the prevention of child trafficking as well as online grooming.
— Provide $35 million for housing opportunities to help women escape living with their abusers and to help prevent trafficking of graduated foster youth.
Find out more
Go to votervoice.net/USCCB/Campaigns/98382/Respond.
To sign up for Virginia Catholic Conference alerts, go to vacatholic.org/action-center/.
