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John,
We are making progress!
This past February, we asked you to write your congressperson in the House of Representatives to co-sponsor and pass the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (HR 7137). As of this writing, 1,466 of you have taken action! Thank you!!
Last week, five Democratic and five Republican senators introduced a companion bill in the Senate, S 4214. So NOW is the time to call and write your senators to ask them to co-sponsor the bill and advocate for its passage!
Human trafficking involves being forced, defrauded, or coerced into activities that someone would not otherwise do — such as selling sexual services, doing any kind of work without pay or without promised working conditions, and even being manipulated by their trafficker to commit criminal acts.
And once a person has a criminal record — even an arrest record without a conviction — it can be harder or virtually impossible for a survivor to secure a job, rent an apartment, or even coach their children’s sports team.
That's why over 100 organizations that support anti-trafficking efforts have joined hands to support the passage of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (TSRA).
Polaris’s recent National Survivor Study, a survey of nearly 500 trafficking survivors in the US, found that 42% of all respondents reported having a criminal record. Of those with records, 90% reported that all, or some, of their arrests were related to their exploitation.
"Due to the record I accrued while being sexually exploited, I have a VERY hard time making a new start. It hurts my chances of obtaining good housing and employment."
— National Survivor Study participant
The TSRA creates a pathway for victims of human trafficking who have been convicted of a federal offense as a result of their trafficking situation to clear their criminal records of those crimes.
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