Proposed Legislation Could Bring Much Needed Aid to Victims of Child Trafficking in the United States

This week the battle against child trafficking has made huge hurdles with the introduction of a new bill, the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010 (DMSTDVS). The bill was introduced this week by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who are the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Human Trafficking, to Congress. 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, giving light to the grave lack of support and services for domestic victims via assessments which were conducted across several U.S. cities. If passed the bill would enable more resources for victims, increase funding to some 45 million dollars to prosecute those engaged in the trafficking of children, and enact stricter reporting requirements for missing children.

One key area of success the new legislation could have is that it will focus on of the gaping holes that allow trafficked children who are U.S. citizens to be overlooked. The proposed legislation specifically targets assistance for domestic victims, United States citizens. , many of whom are runaways, throwaways, or homeless youth. These teens, who range in age from pre-pubescent to 17, are often addicted to drugs, sometimes forcibly by traffickers. The new legislation would establish grants to appropriate much-needed funds into shelters and other services for minor victims of sex trafficking. One highly needed and substantial portion of the bill would likely be for the establishment of a shelter. Currently there are only some 50 designated beds in the country for U.S. sex trafficking victims,  in spite of the fact that there are approximately 100,000 domestic victims.

While the bill is heavily supported by the anti-trafficking community and long overdue, the wait continues as eyes now turn to Congress to see if the DMSTDVS Act will pass through their hallowed halls.