"There are more than 2.5 million victims being held in slavery and nearly 80 percent of these victims are being exploited sexually."
After the first vote on the bill in the Senate, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 fell five votes short of the 60 needed for it to move off the floor. Many Democrats who had originally voted in support of the bill in committee insisted that the Republicans had added the abortion language into the bill after the committee vote. The Republicans denied these claims and refused to remove the abortion language. With neither party willing to compromise on the issue, Congress headed into a major legislative standoff, unable to move past this crucial stage in passing the bill into law. After months of congressional gridlock, enough pressure was applied to reach compromise, allowing the bill to pass in the Senate. The bill sailed through the U.S. Senate with a vote of 99-0 and is expected to pass in the House with little conflict.
It’s extremely important that human trafficking is recognized by the US government as a huge threat to both the national and international communities. In journalist Nicholas Kristof’s latest documentary, A Path Appears, the US sex trafficking market is exposed and broken down for the general audience. What’s most surprising is that many Americans know that prostitution exists in America, but they do not acknowledge the existence of the American sex trade. Hopefully, legislation such as the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 will help to spread awareness and security for the victims of sex trafficking crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice.