Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported a House package of 12 bills to protect those most at risk to human and sex trafficking in the United States and abroad. The legislation would build on the bipartisan efforts of last Congress by boosting resources to our law enforcement officers and providing support to the victims of trafficking crimes.

“Many Americans think that human trafficking is a chapter from our past. Unfortunately these crimes are real and too often occur here in the U.S.,” said Simpson. “By passing these important bills we are prioritizing resources within the leading agencies that deal with these heinous crimes.”

According to the FBI, sex trafficking is the fastest growing organized crime and the third largest criminal enterprise in the world. The numbers are sobering; an estimated 293,000 American youth are currently at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation, and 100,000 children are believed to be actual victims of trafficking every year in the United States. 17,500 people are believed to be trafficked into the United States each year from other countries; while between 600,000 and 800,000 people are trafficked worldwide.  Most trafficking is related to sexual exploitation, and most trafficked persons are female.

Several of the bills passed in the House package take aim at putting an end to this by restricting the passports of people convicted of sex crimes in other countries, increasing training among State Department employees so they are better equipped to identify and protect victims, and encouraging states to adopt ‘safe harbor’ laws and protect the victims of these horrific crimes.

All 12 bills will now head to the Senate for consideration.