Policy Proposal

1864 Words4 Pages

Most American citizens, if asked, would say that sex trafficking is an issue that happens on foreign land, not here in America. Many American’s believe that slavery was abolished years ago, but modern day slavery is happening in this country and internationally every day right under our noses. The startling fact, is that sex trafficking happens within our borders, and in our very own towns at a much higher rate than anyone would imagine. Sex trafficking occurs when people, usually women and children, are coerced into the sex trade against their will (TVPA, 2013). Many traffickers target weak, vulnerable people who come from low socioeconomic backgrounds and have a history of abuse; however anyone can potentially be trafficked (The Polaris Project, 2014). Many traffickers lure their prey in with false promises of love, money, or security, and then the victims are instead faced with lies, debt bondage, violence, physical and mental manipulation, and abuse (The Polaris Project, 2014). In today’s world many of our social issues, such as human trafficking, are made worse by the general lack of education, resources, and information available to the public and to victims. I propose a policy that will help 180 Turning Lives Around provide comprehensive and much needed services to victims of sex trafficking, as well as educate the community and law enforcement officials in order to help end modern day slavery in America. An estimated 20.9 million people are currently being trafficked worldwide (The Polaris Project, 2014). According to the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA, reauthorized in 2013), sex trafficking is defined as, “A commercial sex act induced by force, fraud, or coercion, and/or in which the person induced to... ... middle of paper ... ...ysis shows more forces for the policy than against it. As with all policies within a non-profit, the biggest negative force is funding. Funding is an issue because in order to sustain a program, sustainable funding must be acquired. 180 Turning Lives Around has shown program sustainability since 1976, the board and program directors feel that sustaining this new program will not be an issue (funding will be discussed in detail in the funding section). The other issues 180 may face, is finding an adequate and qualified staff member. The staff member must be trained in human trafficking, trauma informed care, and have extensive knowledge on the issue as well as a clinical understanding of victim needs. This staff member will also be in charge of providing training for the shelter staff, and will aid existing staff in education and outreach to local law enforcement.

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