ATEST National Call: Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Legislation
The Alliance to End Slavery and Trafficking (ATEST) was joined by over 60 organizations on a call to discuss a federal bill addressing child welfare and the intersection between human trafficking and the foster care system. There was a great deal of discussion on the importance of passing H.R. 1732, “Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Trafficking Act,” sponsored by Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA). Passage of this critical bipartisan legislation will help child welfare officials better meet their child protection goals.
The Act would amend the Social Security Act to require state foster care programs in receipt of federal funds under the SSA to report on current efforts to address the human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation of children in their care. It would also mandate the collection of data on human trafficking by adding a “human trafficking” classification to the child welfare reporting system to ensure appropriate services are provided to victims and to monitor trends. Please feel free to download the written transcript of the National Call and ATEST’s one-pager on this bill for additional information.
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