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Did you know that the 13th Amendment did not entirely abolish slavery in the United States? There was an exception left in the Constitution: Unpaid prison labor. Unscrupulous corporations and governments have used this exception to plug holes in their budgets and turn profits for decades. This is trafficking, and it is not acceptable in modern-day society.

Research finds that many human trafficking survivors report having some kind of criminal record as a result of being trafficked. The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act will provide a pathway for survivors to clear federal convictions from their records and move on with their lives in true, legal freedom. Passing this bill is a crucial step forward for victims and survivors and will help them clear their records and offer them an opportunity to start anew. Contact your Representative and Senators and ask them to support this bill.

The most consequential federal law on human trafficking is the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), originally passed in 2000 and reauthorized several times since. This reauthorization bill keeps supporting the spirit of the first and subsequent reauthorizations with the framework of the “three Ps:” protection, prosecution, and prevention, but most specifically it reauthorizes important resources for anti-trafficking programs internationally, vital programs at the US Agency for International Development, and much-needed funding to operate The National Human Trafficking Hotline. Contact your Representative and ask them to support H.R. 5856.

Introduced this year, the National Human Trafficking Hotline Enhancement Act (H.R. 2601) would require the operator of the Trafficking Hotline to turn over information shared by the public to state and local law enforcement on demand, regardless of whether or not an adult trafficking victim consents to the involvement of law enforcement. Victims of human trafficking must be able to control when to involve law enforcement in their trafficking situations. This bill will compromise victims’ safety and put their lives at risk — and cause them to stop contacting the Trafficking Hotline altogether. Contact your Representative, and ask them to oppose H.R. 2601.

Chronic underfunding of the federal agency charged with protecting workers means labor traffickers are able to operate with impunity because they are pretty sure no one is watching.  That has to change. The U.S. Department of Labor must have the resources to hire, train and deploy inspectors who visit job sites and make sure workers are being treated fairly.

It is too easy for criminal networks to hide their true identity when setting up illicit companies. Attorneys, accountants, and others that work for these companies are currently exempt from having to ensure their clients are operating within the law. Congress has the power to close this loophole by passing the bipartisan ENABLERS Act and help ensure they are not enabling human trafficking.

By its very definition, the crime of human trafficking involves being forced, manipulated or tricked into activities that a person would not otherwise engage in - such as selling sex or picking vegetables for hours in the hot sun with no pay. Yet the federal government has no mechanism to ensure that people who have federal criminal charges on their records as a result of their victimization can get those records cleared. Tell Congress: Federal criminalized trafficking victims deserve relief.

The Administration can and must lead the way toward fixing the broken system that allows for – even encourages – labor trafficking of workers who are in this country on temporary visas. There are several steps in that direction that the White House and agencies can take immediately and others in which congressional action is necessary. The solutions are clear and the time is now.

Understanding the realities of how love is often used as a weapon in situations of human trafficking is critical to preventing it. Learn more about the grooming process and what love doesn’t look like. Share our videos and graphics on social media to expand awareness of what human trafficking really looks like — directly from the experiences of survivors.

LGBTQ+ people are particularly vulnerable to human traffickers in part because bias and discrimination in things like jobs and housing gives traffickers an opening to step in. The Equality Act would make such discrimination illegal under federal law.

Survivors should not have to pay federal taxes on money they win by facing down their traffickers in court. Contact your Representatives and ask them to support the bipartisan Human Trafficking Survivor Tax Relief Act.