Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) joined Senators Lisa Murkoski (R-Alaska), Tina Smith (D.-Minn.), and thirteen other colleagues in cosponsoring the Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act of 2020, which would prevent the human trafficking and exploitation of children by providing grants for training students, parents, teachers, and school personnel to recognize, prevent, and respond to signs of human trafficking.
“Too many children in Nevada and around the country are vulnerable to exploitation. I’ve been fighting human trafficking for years, and I’m committed to using all the tools at our disposal to stop it. We need to educate and mobilize communities so they can recognize the signs of a child in danger, and this legislation lets us do exactly that.”
In addition to Senators Cortez Masto, Murkowski, and Smith, Senators Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Jon Tester (D-Mont.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Doug Jones (D-Ala.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) also cosponsored the bill.
BACKGROUND:
According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), every two minutes a child is being victimized for sexual exploitation. The Human Trafficking and Exploitation Prevention Training Act of 2020 would issue grants to non-profit organizations and schools to develop and implement age-appropriate, culturally competent, and gender-responsive curriculum, all while prioritizing geographic areas with the highest prevalence of human trafficking.
Senator Cortez Masto has also introduced legislation to help law enforcement identify child trafficking victims.
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