WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., today expressed support for landmark legislation to combat human trafficking in the United States. The bill, “Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act,” S. 178, would broaden protections for victims and hold traffickers and purchasers equally accountable for their crimes.

“Trafficking does not discriminate by background or race, but women and children are especially at risk,” Wicker said. “This is the ‘War on Women’ that should be in news headlines. As policymakers, our energy would be well-spent on fighting sex trafficking – a daily war fought by young women robbed of their freedom, their dignity, their childhoods, and often their very lives.

“The United States can take a leading role in the fight against trafficking. This starts with targeted, practical legislation like the ‘Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.’ Our efforts should strengthen the enforcement of current laws and develop effective strategies to support victims.  America is a beacon of freedom and prosperity.  The fact that traffickers still find and transit victims here is a crime that deserves our full attention and swift action.”

The “Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act” follows in a long line of bipartisan efforts to punish the perpetrators of trafficking and support the rehabilitation of its victims.  Broad federal action began in 2000, when Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly passed the “Trafficking Victims Protection Act.”

Wicker has filed three amendments to S.178, inspired by the “End Trafficking Act,” which he introduced in 2014. 

• The first amendment would create a Department of Justice database for education and outreach.  The database would assist survivors, families, law enforcement, crisis hotline personnel, and advocates, providing valuable resources on counseling, housing, legal assistance, and other services.

• The second amendment would extend the statute of limitations to allow child victims to file civil suits against perpetrators up to 10 years after they reach the age of 18.  Under current law, the statute of limitations expires 10 years after the cause of action arises. 

• The final amendment would expand the definition of “child abuse and neglect” in the “Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act.”  This new definition recognizes the serious role that commercial sexual exploitation plays in abuse and neglect by ensuring that the minimum standards for defining child abuse include the commercial exploitation of children.

The underlying bill also includes a provision championed by Wicker to treat trafficking victims as victims and not as criminals. The provision would establish trafficking survivors’ courts with specialized court dockets and judicial supervision that would put the well-being of victims first.  Often, these juveniles are charged with a delinquency offense and detained when they need counseling and support.

S. 178 is endorsed by 200 advocacy groups, including the NAACP, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Rights 4 Girls, National Association to Protect Children, Fraternal Order of Police, and the National Conference of State Legislatures.