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Dear John, This bill is close to passing and could have global impact. You can help. The Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act is a congressional bill that was inspired, in part, by our documentary Nefarious: Merchant of Souls. It all started back in 2013 when we did a screening of Nefarious on Capitol Hill for members of Congress. The film unveiled the predatory inner workings of the global sex industry and presented a clear solution: criminalize sex buying everywhere. The legislators who attended were impassioned to help fight this injustice and our team explained the importance of criminalizing the purchase of sex, as featured in the film. We laid out how our US State Department could do its part. This department releases an annual Trafficking in Person’s Report which acts as a “report card” on how well countries are doing in fighting trafficking. Countries that receive a “bad grade" suffer from public shame and potential economic penalties as a consequence. The department could require that in order for countries to receive a good rating in this report, they must implement laws that criminalize the purchase of sex. It was then that the Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act was first introduced in Congress. After much advocacy from many organizations and individuals, the bill was introduced three times, over six years—each time overcoming setbacks and gaining more support. Exodus Cry has helped support it through writing articles, co-organizing a Capitol Hill briefing on demand reduction, coordinating an international letter signed by over 200 organizations and 1200 advocates, and doing visits to Capitol Hill for one on one meetings. The bill was recently amended and introduced this congressional session in a bi-partisan alliance by seasoned anti-trafficking representatives, including U.S. Reps. Ann Wagner, Chris Smith, and Hakeem Jeffries. It's the first time the bill has had such strong bipartisan support and it could finally cross the finish line in 2020! We are closer than ever to seeing this bill pass but we need your support to see this through. There are two ways you can help: 1. Give a gift of any amount to help provide critical resources to mobilize the masses in pushing for the passing of this crucial bill. GIVE NOW 2. Contact your representative and ask them to co-sponsor HR 4326, The Sex Trafficking Demand Reduction Act. (Use the tool at the bottom of the page linked here.) Help us finish strong! Join us in telling countries around the world that the purchase of vulnerable women and children must have legal consequences. Be a bridge to freedom for countless individuals being preyed upon by the sex industry and help us win this significant battle against global trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation! For freedom everywhere, The Exodus Cry Team P.S. Get the full story about the bill here. |
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