Excitement was brewing on Capital Hill today as, Senators Wyden (D-OR) and Cornyn (R-TX) Reintroduced the 2010 Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 (H.R. 5575). The 2010 Act, which was introduced by introduced this week by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who were the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking, to Congress, in June of that year. The proposed legislation was Maloney and Smith response to the 2009 Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking report by Shared Hope International, which reported in-depth on the high prevalence of child sex trafficking in the United States. The 2010 bill had received significant support and many were poised to see the bill pass in December, sadly hopes were dashed as the bill failed to pass.
However the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2011 has a new breath of life and is stronger than ever. The 2011 will provide crucial funds for services and shelter, and see that victimized children are not criminalized. It is estimated that more than 100,000 children are victims of sex trafficking each year in the United States according to recent estimates. The bill, if passed, calls for the establishment of six shelters to be placed across the U.S., which would provided a much needed safe haven for minors trafficked and sold into sexual slavery. Currently there are approximately some 50 designated beds in the country for U.S. sex trafficking victims, a number that cannot be comprehended for those fighting to support the 100,000 victimized youth each year.
The Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and Victims Support Act, would authorize a some $2-2.5 million per year to be distributed across six U.S. locations which are deemed to have significant sex trafficking activity and that can provide a working plan to provide comprehensive services to minor sex trafficking victims. The grant recipients must also show that they have participation from all levels of law enforcement, prosecutors and social service providers. The funds from the bill will not only provide much needed shelters for victims, but also provide basic essentials, fund services such as counseling, legal services, education and job training. In addition the bill will provide specialized training for law enforcement to ensure they have the tools and training needed to investigate, prosecute and incarcerate the pimps and traffickers. However the bill will not only provided needed training but also provided salaries for patrol officers, detectives, investigators, and prosecutors. As well it will provide funding for various investigative and trial expenses, outreach, education, and prevention efforts.
Coverage of the 2010 Act and other recent and related articles can be found in the following posts; Winning Battles in the Fight to End Child Trafficking, Proposed Legislation Could Bring Much Needed Aid to Victims of Child Trafficking in the United States, Selling Children Online and other posts on Child Trafficking
