Legislation that would crack down on addiction-driven human trafficking was introduced this week in the U.S. Senate.
The Protecting Rights of Those Exploited by Coercive Trafficking (PROTECT) Act would seek to prevent the use of drugs to facilitate human trafficking. Human traffickers often exploit drug addiction to control or force victims into prostitution or forced labor. The PROTECT Act would combat this by amending existing human trafficking law to specify that the use of drugs to cause a person to engage in a commercial sex act or forced labor would be considered a form of coercion. It also includes a provision to protect trafficking victims from prosecution.
“We should do everything in our power to bring human traffickers to justice, particularly those who use drugs to control their victims,” Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC), one of the bill’s sponsors, said. “I am proud to re-introduce this bipartisan legislation that will strengthen the penalties for these criminals and help ensure human traffickers are held accountable for their atrocious crimes.”
The bill was also sponsored by Sens. Sherrod Brown (D-OH), John Cornyn (R-TX), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Rob Portman (R-OH), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
The bill has been endorsed the Fraternal Order of Police, National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition (NNOAC), National Sheriffs’ Association, Federal Law Enforcement Officers’ Association, International Union of Police Associations, Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, National District Attorneys Association, Ohio Fraternal Order of Police, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, Truckers Against Trafficking, Shared Hope International, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CAT-W), Living In Freedom Together (LIFT), National Center on Sexual Exploitation, Child Welfare League of America, Love 146, My Life My Choice, Rights4Girls, and Human Service Chamber of Franklin County.