IJM Welcomes the Passage of the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022
Human Trafficking
Wednesday, July 27, 2022, WASHINGTON, D.C. — International Justice Mission (IJM) welcomes the passage of the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 (H.R. 6552) by the House of Representatives. Introduced by Reps. Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Karen Bass (D-CA) on Feb. 1, 2022, the bill received overwhelming bipartisan backing with a vote of 401-20.
“The enormous support in the House for this critical human rights and law enforcement legislation is a testament to a widespread consensus and underscores the absolute urgency for securing the funds needed to protect victims, prosecute perpetrators and prevent trafficking from occurring in the first place,” Rep. Smith said.
IJM also supports the International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 (S. 4171), passed by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on June 14, 2022. In their current forms, S. 4171 and H.R. 6552 both include provisions to:
- Reauthorize the Program to End Modern Slavery (PEMS).
- Increase authorized funding for the U.S. State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons (TIP Office).
- Make technical amendments to the TIP Report tier rankings.
- Expand anti-trafficking programming at the U.S. Agency for International Development.
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000 is the landmark federal law that governs U.S. policy to address trafficking in persons in the United States and around the globe. The TVPA has been reauthorized through the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) five times, most recently in early 2019.
IJM urges Senate leadership to schedule a vote on S. 4171 as soon as possible to reauthorize vital anti-trafficking programs across the U.S. government.
