[Congressional Bills 113th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 29 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

113th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. CON. RES. 29

 Expressing the sense of the Congress that children trafficked in the 
 United States be treated as victims of crime, and not as perpetrators.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 21, 2013

Mr. Hatch (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Baucus, Mr. Portman, Mr. Wyden, 
  Mr. Cornyn, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Enzi, and Mr. Crapo), submitted the 
following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on 
                             the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
 Expressing the sense of the Congress that children trafficked in the 
 United States be treated as victims of crime, and not as perpetrators.

Whereas, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, it is estimated that 
        hundreds of thousands of American children are at risk for commercial 
        sexual exploitation;
Whereas this risk is even greater for the up to 30,000 young people who are 
        emancipated from foster care each year;
Whereas many of these children are girls previously or currently living in 
        foster care or otherwise involved in the child welfare system;
Whereas flaws in the child welfare system in the United States, such as an over-
        reliance on group homes and barriers to youth engaging in age-
        appropriate activities, contribute to children's vulnerability to 
        domestic sex trafficking;
Whereas the average age of entry into sex trafficking for girls is between just 
        12 and 14 years old;
Whereas many child sex trafficking victims have experienced previous physical 
        and/or sexual abuse--vulnerabilities that traffickers exploit to lure 
        them into a life of sexual slavery that exposes them to long-term abuse;
Whereas many child sex trafficking victims are the ``lost girls'', standing 
        around bus stops, in the runaway and homeless youth shelters, advertised 
        online--hidden in plain view; and
Whereas many child sex trafficking victims who have not yet attained the age of 
        consent are arrested and detained for juvenile prostitution or status 
        offenses directly related to their exploitation: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring), 
That the Congress--
            (1) finds that law enforcement, judges, child welfare 
        agencies, and the public should treat children being trafficked 
        for sex as victims of child abuse;
            (2) finds that every effort should be made to arrest and 
        hold accountable both traffickers and buyers of children for 
        sex, in accordance with Federal laws to protect victims of 
        trafficking and State child protection laws against abuse, in 
        order to take all necessary measures to protect our Nation's 
        children from harm;
            (3) supports survivors of domestic sex trafficking, 
        including their efforts to raise awareness of this tragedy and 
        the services they need to heal from the complex trauma of 
        sexual violence and exploitation;
            (4) recognizes that most girls who are bought and sold for 
        sex in the United States have been involved in the child 
        welfare system, which has a responsibility to protect them and 
        requires reform to better prevent domestic child sex 
        trafficking and aid the victims of this tragedy;
            (5) believes that the child welfare system should identify, 
        assess, and provide supportive services to children in its care 
        who are victims of sex trafficking, or at risk of becoming such 
        victims; and
            (6) supports an end to demand for girls by declaring that 
        our Nation's daughters are not for sale and that any person who 
        purchases a child for sex should be appropriately held 
        accountable with the full force of law.
                                 <all>