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May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize the more than 400,000 children currently in the U.S. child welfare system and to acknowledge those working to improve standards and strengthen policies to reform the foster care system. Often, these kids face a significant amount of trauma associated with their experiences prior to and during their placements in the foster care system – ultimately increasing their vulnerabilities and risk of trafficking and exploitation – a sentiment echoed by ECPAT-USA Survivors' Council member Sarah.
Congress has taken steps to address the intersection between youth in the child welfare system and sex trafficking. Representatives Karen Bass and Ann Wagner introduced the Put Trafficking Victims First Act, which would direct the Attorney General to provide necessary training and technical assistance to federal, state, and local governments to investigate, prosecute and prevent human trafficking from a victim-centered and trauma-informed approach. This bill also instructs the Department of Justice to establish a working group charged with identifying best practices for assessing trends in human trafficking and surveying survivors on ways to increase access to supportive services.
Additionally, Representatives Tony Gonzalez and Eddie Bernice Johnson recently introduced the Find and Protect Foster Youth Act. This bill would help improve communication standards between state and federal agencies by creating a “feedback loop” between states and the Administration of Children and Families to share information related to vulnerable communities.
It is incumbent upon Congress to prioritize strengthening laws to better serve children in the child welfare system. Its current structure creates ambiguity and space for these kids to be overlooked and targeted. Without closing these gaps, we cannot adequately protect this nation’s children from the harms that await them.
ECPAT-USA will continue to partner and collaborate with child welfare organizations and legislators to advance policies that seek to better support and meet the needs of vulnerable children in foster care. We invite you to learn more in the special message from Representative Bass below.
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