FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
SENATE FAILS TO DELIVER HELP TO TRAFFICKING VICTIMS
March 17, 2015 -- Covenant House International, the largest charity in the Americas directly serving homeless, runaway and trafficked youth, heard the news from Capitol Hill today with dismay: the United States Senate failed to end a filibuster in its consideration of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA), S.178, which strengthens laws against sex trafficking and creates a fund to help victims and survivors. A similar bill had passed the House with bipartisan support, which the Senate bill had enjoyed, too, until partisan issues scuttled a vote.
The bill, which had seemed certain to pass early last week, is now in limbo. Politics, for now, has unintentionally resulted in a win for the pimps.
As advocates for homeless, runaway and trafficked youth, Covenant House International rallied thousands of our supporters across the United States to urge legislators to pass this bill. We joined with 90 other organizations in signing a letter of support from the Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST).
“If this diverse coalition of victims and advocates, who hail from across the political spectrum, can come together to stand with trafficking survivors, why can't our senior Senators, whose job it is to protect and safeguard the most vulnerable members of our country?” asked Kevin Ryan, the president of Covenant House International.
Recent research involving young people helped by Covenant House in New Orleans and New York City shows that about a quarter of the homeless youth surveyed had been victims of sexual exploitation, either because they were trafficked, or because they had engaged in survival sex or sexual labor.
Homeless youth who have nowhere else to turn are particularly vulnerable to trading their bodies in order to survive. Half of the homeless young people at Covenant House said they would not have resorted to survival sex or succumbed to trafficking if they’d had a safe place to stay and people who cared.
One critically important proposed amendment to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act is the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act, which provides important resources for homeless young people, keeping them safe from exploitation.
“It is long past time for the Senate to set aside politics and protect the most vulnerable among us,” said Ryan.
Covenant House International urges you to contact your Senators and ask them to pass the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which is crucial to the well-being and protection of our most vulnerable youth. The Senate’s failure to reach an agreement today is not the final word, and we look forward to working with lawmakers in both parties to find a constructive path forward to ensure justice, safety and protection for trafficked, homeless and runaway youth.
Covenant House President Kevin Ryan is available to speak about this issue.
Please contact:
Tom Manning at (212) 727-4920, tmanning@covenanthouse.org Cenia Hampton, Covenant House: Office (212) 727-6582, cell (501) 517-4476, champton@covenanthouse.org
