Smith Joins Trafficking Survivors, Anti-Trafficking Groups in Urging Congress to Advance Smith-Bass Bill to Help Victims of Trafficking

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Jun 10, 2022, 09:57 ET

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At a Capitol Hill press conference Thursday, Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), an internationally recognized leader in the fight to combat human trafficking, joined Safe House Project and trafficking survivors in urging members of Congress to take immediate action and advance the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 (H.R.6552) to the House Floor for a vote. The bill would reauthorize the historic Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 authored by Smith.

PHOTO: Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is joined by trafficking survivor Barbara Amaya, Patrina Mosley of the Douglass Leadership Institute, Safe House Project Chief Operations Officer Brittany Dunn, and trafficking survivor CocoEva LuzGuerrero Alcazar at a Capitol Hill press conference on June 9th to urge members of Congress to take immediate action and advance the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 (H.R.6552) to the House Floor for a vote.

The event comes as the Trafficking Survivor Equity Coalition, a coalition convened by Safe House Project which includes more than 300 anti-trafficking organizations and survivor leaders delivered a letter to House leadership urging them to allow a House vote on the bipartisan bill.

"For every day that Congress fails to act in reauthorizing the TVPA, hundreds more women, men, and children fall victim to human trafficking," said Safe House Project Chief Operations Officer Brittany Dunn. "We must not let this victimization go unseen and without response. Congress must act so that we can mobilize every resource to identify victims and empower them as survivors."

The bill, which has already received unanimous support from the House Foreign Affairs Committee, would provide approximately $1 billion over five years to strengthen and expand education, restorative care, and other critical programs that protect victims, prosecute perpetrators and prevent trafficking.

"For more than a year, Congresswoman Bass and I have worked tirelessly to write this comprehensive, bipartisan bill with valued input from trafficking survivors and anti-trafficking groups to bolster programs and address critical gaps in combatting modern-day slavery," said Rep. Smith. "It is long past time for Congress to vote on this legislation to fund essential programs that have expired to protect the most vulnerable among us and prevent trafficking in the first place."

Human trafficking survivors Barbara Amaya and CocoEva LuzGuerrero Alcazar spoke of the dire need for Congress to take quick action by passing the Smith-Bass bill.

"It took many interactions over many years during and after being exploited to recognize that I was being trafficked," said Barbara Amaya. "This legislation gives the power back to survivors by providing more tools needed to identify trafficking victims."

CocoEva LuzGuerrero Alcazar, a human trafficking survivor said, "I have experienced the challenges of living with this severe trauma and its ramifications, as well as the challenges of accessing services, particularly services that are trauma-informed, culturally relevant and equity-centered. A full recovery is continuous, and relies not only upon the support and empowerment of all survivors, but on Congress' willingness to act."

Safe House Project is a national anti-trafficking organization and registered 501(c)3 which focuses on increasing victim identification above one percent through survivor-informed training, supporting victims in their escape, and increasing the number of restorative care opportunities for child trafficking victims. To learn more about Safe House Project visit www.safehouseproject.org.

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SOURCE Safe House Project