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With the support of Congressman Bill Posey (R-Rockledge) the U.S. House of Representatives passed several measures with strong bipartisan support to strengthen our human trafficking laws, train our law enforcement to better target criminals and bring justice to the victims of human trafficking crimes.

“Human Trafficking is a modern form of slavery which enables huge profits for criminals who both traffic and exploit individuals, including many young girls,” said Congressman Posey. “Hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of becoming victims of trafficking and forced labor every year. These are truly horrible crimes and we have a moral obligation to do all we can to capture these criminals and rescue their victims.”

According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) more than 100,000 children fall victim to human trafficking in the U.S. every year. The average age for a child victim is between 13 and 14 years old. The United Nations estimates human trafficking generates about $9.5 billion every year.

House-passed legislation takes action by giving law enforcement more tools to catch human traffickers, enhancing victim services and making it a crime to advertise the commercial sexual exploitation of minors and trafficking victims. The bills also give states incentives to establish safe harbor laws so children are treated as victims and not criminals, and codify a national human trafficking hotline so victims can get the assistance they need.