Skip to content Skip to search

Republish This Story

* Please read before republishing *

We’re happy to make this story available to republish for free under an Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives Creative Commons license as long as you follow our republishing guidelines, which require that you credit The 19th and retain our pixel. See our full guidelines for more information.

To republish, simply copy the HTML at right, which includes our tracking pixel, all paragraph styles and hyperlinks, the author byline and credit to The 19th. Have questions? Please email [email protected].

— The Editors

Loading...

Modal Gallery

/
Sign up for our newsletter

Menu

  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships
    • From the Collection

      Changing Child Care

      Illustration of a woman feeding a baby a bottle
      • Washington, D.C., offers financial relief to local child care workers

        Orion Rummler · September 20
      • As climate change worsens hurricane season in Louisiana, doulas are ensuring parents can safely feed their babies

        Jessica Kutz · May 5
      • Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito argued abortion isn’t an economic issue. But is that true?

        Chabeli Carrazana · May 4
    • From the Collection

      Next-Gen GOP

      Illustration of a woman riding an elephant
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • A banner year for Republican women

        Amanda Becker · November 11
      • Republican women could double representation in the U.S. House

        Amanda Becker · November 4
    • From the Collection

      On The Rise

      Illustration of three women marching
      • Can Cheri Beasley build a winning coalition in North Carolina?

        Candice Norwood · October 11
      • Los Angeles has never elected a woman mayor. Karen Bass hopes to change that.

        Nadra Nittle · September 8
      • Judge J. Michelle Childs is confirmed to D.C. appeals court

        Candice Norwood · July 20
    • From the Collection

      Pandemic Within a Pandemic

      Illustration of four people marching for Black Lives Matter with coronavirus as the backdrop
      • Some LGBTQ+ people worry that the COVID-19 vaccine will affect HIV medication. It won’t.

        Orion Rummler · November 23
      • Why are more men dying from COVID? It’s a complicated story of nature vs. nurture, researchers say

        Mariel Padilla · September 22
      • Few incarcerated women were released during COVID. The ones who remain have struggled.

        Candice Norwood · August 17
    • From the Collection

      Portraits of a Pandemic

      Illustration of a woman wearing a mask and holding up the coronavirus
      • For family caregivers, COVID is a mental health crisis in the making

        Shefali Luthra · October 8
      • A new database tracks COVID-19’s effects on sex and gender

        Shefali Luthra · September 15
      • Pregnant in a pandemic: The 'perfect storm for a crisis'

        Shefali Luthra · August 25
    • From the Collection

      The 19th Explains

      People walking from many articles to one article where they can get the context they need on an issue.
      • The 19th Explains: What we know about Brittney Griner’s case and what it took to get her home

        Candice Norwood, Katherine Gilyard · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why the Respect for Marriage Act doesn’t codify same-sex marriage rights

        Kate Sosin · December 8
      • The 19th Explains: Why baby formula is still hard to find months after the shortage

        Mariel Padilla · December 1
    • From the Collection

      The Electability Myth

      Illustration of three women speaking at podiums
      • Mayra Flores’ victory set a record for women in Congress. It also reflects the growing visibility of Republican Latinas

        Candice Norwood · June 21
      • Stepping in after tragedy: How political wives became widow lawmakers

        Mariel Padilla · May 24
      • Do term limits help women candidates? New York could be a new testing ground

        Barbara Rodriguez · January 11
    • From the Collection

      The Impact of Aging

      A number of older people walking down a path of information.
      • From ballroom dancing to bloodshed, the older AAPI community grapples with gun control

        Nadra Nittle, Mariel Padilla · January 27
      • 'I'm planning on working until the day I die': Older women voters are worried about the future

        Mariel Padilla · June 3
      • Climate change is forcing care workers to act as first responders

        Jessica Kutz · May 31
    • From the Collection

      Voting Rights

      A series of hands reaching for ballots.
      • Election workers believe in our system — and want everyone else to, too

        Barbara Rodriguez, Jennifer Gerson · November 8
      • Voter ID laws stand between transgender people, women and the ballot box

        Barbara Rodriguez · October 14
      • Emily’s List expands focus on diverse candidates and voting rights ahead of midterm elections

        Errin Haines · August 30

    View all collections

  • Explore by Topic

    • 19th Polling
    • Abortion
    • Business & Economy
    • Caregiving
    • Coronavirus
    • Education
    • Election 2020
    • Election 2022
    • Environment & Climate
    • Health
    • Immigration
    • Inside The 19th
    • Justice
    • LGBTQ+
    • Politics
    • Press Release
    • Race
    • Sports
    • Technology

    View All Topics

Home
  • Our Mission
  • Our Team
  • Latest Stories
  • Search
  • Upcoming Events
  • Contact Us
  • Newsletter
  • Donate
  • Work With Us
  • Fellowships

We’re an independent, nonprofit newsroom reporting on gender, politics and policy. Read our story.

The 19th News(letter)

News from reporters who represent you and your communities.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting...

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Become a member

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

An anti-trafficking billboard reads
An anti-trafficking billboard put up by the National Human Trafficking Resource Center is seen in Mounds View, Minnesota. (Universal Images Group/Getty Images)

Justice

Bipartisan bill would require human trafficking hotline to be posted in every U.S. port of entry

Experts and advocates applaud the legislation but insist that more action be taken to address the root causes of the problem.

Mariel Padilla

General Assignment Reporter

Mariel Padilla portrait

Published

2022-12-02 10:51
10:51
December 2, 2022
am

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Each year, tens of thousands of people text or call 1-888-373-7888, the national human trafficking hotline. Now, lawmakers are pushing to require that number to be posted in every airport, bus station, rail station and all ports of entry in the United States. 

Senators introduced on Thursday the Human Trafficking Prevention Act, bipartisan legislation which was shared first with The 19th. The bill would direct the Departments of Transportation and Homeland Security to ensure the hotline is also visible in every individual plane, bus and train restroom. The companion bill, introduced by Reps. Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat, and Darrell Issa, a Republican, passed in the House in July. 

Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire, one of the bill’s primary sponsors, said transportation hubs are a “common-sense place to intercede” by letting victims and bystanders know who to call for help. 

The 19th thanks our sponsors. Become one.

“Our bill is an important effort to address one of the greatest evils in our society,” Hassan said in a statement. “And I will continue working with my colleagues across the aisle to stamp out human trafficking, hold perpetrators accountable and save victims.”

Despite the large number of phone calls, texts, emails and online tips to the hotline — which is operated by the Polaris Project, an advocacy group, and available at  humantraffickinghotline.org — only a fraction of incidents end in a prosecution. In 2020 alone, the hotline received more than 51,000 “substantive” tip reports, according to the group’s latest national hotline data. Yet, that same year, only 2,198 people were referred to U.S. attorneys for human trafficking offenses and about half of those were charged, according to data from the Department of Justice.

  • More from The 19th
    An instructional illustration on how to signal for help.
  • The hand gesture that saved a teenager shows how TikTok can help victims escape
  • ‘It’s like no one is looking for us’: How can states help when women of color go missing?
  • Maggy Krell, who took down Backpage.com, talks about human trafficking

“Human trafficking is a heinous crime that threatens the well-being of women, men and children across this country and around the world,” Sen. Jacky Rosen of Nevada, a Democrat and another sponsor of the bill, said in a statement. “The national human trafficking hotline has been a highly effective tool in helping victims, and I’m helping introduce this bipartisan legislation to ensure that it is even more visible in Nevada and nationwide.”

Of the tens of thousands of alleged victims identified by tips to Polaris, nearly 60 percent were women and about half were not U.S. citizens. The hotline is primarily funded by the Department of Health and Human Services. 

Experts and advocates applauded the legislation but insist that more action be taken to address the root causes of the problem.

Polaris called the legislation “an important step in intervention” but said more needs to be done to actually prevent trafficking from happening. 

“We now know that trafficking is the predictable result of social, political and economic inequities and injustices,” a Polaris spokesperson told The 19th. “To really prevent trafficking, we must work together to tackle the underlying patterns of exploitation that allow trafficking to happen in the first place.” 

Mary Twis, an assistant professor of social work at Texas Christian University who studies and has worked with sex trafficking survivors, said the increased signage will certainly raise awareness among the public and will hopefully lead to more arrests. However, she said, the government needs to work towards “reducing systemic inequalities” that lead to the targeting of “entire subpopulations of people.” 

Jonathan White, an associate professor of sociology at Bentley University who teaches about human trafficking, said that the majority of human trafficking victims are undocumented immigrants, generally vulnerable women who are at the mercy of whoever is employing, housing or holding them. The current laws and public sentiment give traffickers more power over victims, who fear imprisonment or deportation, he added. 

Anne Douds, the chair of public policy at Gettysburg College, said it was exciting to see Congress consider an “evidence-based approach” that also promotes community-based research. The bill also develops resources for local-level data collection, which Douds said will help law enforcement better understand who is trafficked and how they’re trafficked so they can disrupt those chains. Douds also pointed out that more could be done to center victims in the solution and offered one suggestion: funding for human trafficking courts.

“Human trafficking courts are one of the ‘specialized courts’ or ‘treatment courts’ that you may have heard of, like drug courts or veteran courts,” Douds said. “They can be quite effective at coordinating services and simultaneously resolving criminal charges.” 

Stories by experienced reporters you can trust and relate to.

Delivered directly to your inbox every weekday.

You have been subscribed!

Submitting…

Uh-oh! Something went wrong. Please try again later.

Sheila Hayre, a clinical professor of law at Quinnipiac University, agreed that there needs to be a review of the criminal legal system as well. Hayre, whose clinic has represented trafficking victims, said that she has noticed that too often prosecution of traffickers takes precedent over the protection of victims. 

“We need to prosecute traffickers, but even in cases where bringing a prosecution is not feasible or possible, the federal government should be committed to providing protection to victims in the form of services and support,” Hayre said. 

Increased signage helps, Hayre said, but there should be federal provisions and other resources that protect victims from being prosecuted for crimes that were the result of force, fraud or coercion by a trafficker. 

Republican Sen. James Risch of Idaho, the bill’s third sponsor, said Congress must do “everything in its power” to combat human trafficking. 

“There is still more to be done, and I will continue to support anti-trafficking efforts, provide victims with the necessary resources, and ensure traffickers are punished to the fullest extent,” Risch said in a statement.  

Share

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Email

Help sustain what we started

Your monthly investment is critical to our sustainability as a nonprofit newsroom.

Donate Today

Become a member

Up Next

A flock of birds flies near the U.S. Capitol at dusk.

Justice

Congress passes bill to ban NDAs in cases of workplace sexual harassment

Five years after the #MeToo movement took off, Congress is now limiting an employer’s ability to keep its employees quiet in cases of sexual assault and harassment.

Read the Story

The 19th
The 19th is a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. Our stories are free to republish in accordance with these guidelines.

  • Donate
  • Newsletter
  • Events
  • Search
  • Jobs
  • Fellowships
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Community Guidelines
  • Membership
  • Membership FAQ
  • Major Gifts
  • Sponsorship
  • Privacy
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Instagram