Students can show support for a simple bill capable of bringing about more accurate charges for human trafficking.
Currently U.S. law states that the use of three things, force, fraud, and coercion, can qualify an action as human trafficking. However, the use of drugs to trap someone into working or performing a commercial sex act does not qualify as human trafficking.
Legislators hope to change that with the Protecting Rights of Those Exploited by Coercive Trafficking (PROTECT) Act of 2018. It was introduced to United States Congress and House of Representatives on Feb. 14. By adding roughly two lines of legislation to current human trafficking laws perpetrators who use drugs to traffic a person will be properly charged.
“That takes away one more thing that the offenders have at their disposal that they’re using that’s very effective,” said Brandon Bell, a volunteer with anti-human trafficking group 4 the ONE. “We definitely see the effects of drugs on the girls that are caught up in (trafficking). I’m still trying to wrap my mind around it right now that this is not a part of the law already, that’s crazy.”
Students can impact legislation in the stage that the PROTECT act is in by contacting pertinent interest groups, or by contacting representatives directly. The Polaris Project is one interest group which regularly creates petitions for anti-human trafficking legislation. Students can find ways to take action on similar bills at www.polarisproject.org/action/ .
“I would trust that the collective voices on this petition are going to have more impact than my individual letter or email to my representative.” Cherish Mason, a senior at UNT said. “I don’t necessarily trust representatives to actually read (my email) and be like ‘Oh, I’m gonna go do something now.’”
Every student can write to their legislator. However, unless you have information and statistics to make an argument with, working with an interest group will be more effective, according to Dr. Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, Chair of Political Science at UNT.
“The more organized, the more impact.” Dr. Eshbaugh-Soha said. “Interest groups always want help.”
UNT students wishing to show their support for this bill individually can contact their representatives or any of the following sponsors and co-sponsors. House of Representatives sponsor Rep. John Ratcliffe of Texas, and co-sponsor Rep. Kathleen M. Rice of New York. U.S. Senate sponsor Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio, and Sen. John Cornyn III of Texas, one of the bills co-sponsors.
Photo Courtesy of the U.S. Department of Defense
Comments