1 Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, http://www.castla.org ...

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May 12, 2015. The Hon. John Boehner. The Hon. Nancy Pelosi. Speaker. Minority Leader. U.S. House of Representatives. U.S
    May  12,  2015     The  Hon.  John  Boehner       The  Hon.  Nancy  Pelosi   Speaker           Minority  Leader   U.S.  House  of  Representatives       U.S.  House  of  Representatives   Washington,  DC  20515         Washington,  DC  20515     Dear  Mr.  Speaker  and  Leader  Pelosi:     The  National  Task  Force  to  End  Sexual  and  Domestic  Violence  (NTF),  a  coalition  of   thousands  of  victim  advocacy  organizations  that  serve  millions  of  victims  of  sexual  and   domestic  violence,  writes  to  ask  you  to  move  forward  on  S.  178,  the  Justice  for  Victims  of   Trafficking  Act  (JVTA),  which  recently  passed  in  the  Senate,  99-­‐0.     Trafficking  is  a  terrible  crime  that  affects  adults  and  children.  According  to  CIA  estimates,  as   many  as  15,000  to  17,500  men,  women  and  children  are  trafficked  into  the  United  States   every  year.1  Trafficking  forces  minors  into  sexual  slavery:  it  is  estimated  that  there  are   approximately  293,000  American  children  at  risk  of  commercial  sexual  exploitation   today.    The  majority  of  them  are  girls,  with  the  average  age  of  entry  into  sexual  exploitation   being  between  just  12  and  14  years  old.2  The  JVTA  responds  to  these  victims  with  support   from  fines  collected  from  the  persons  who  create  the  market  for  the  sexual  exploitation  of   trafficked  women  and  children.   Another  reason  we  ask  you  to  take  up  S.  178  is  Title  IV  of  this  bill,  the  Rape  Survivor  Child   Custody  Act.  This  is  a  much-­‐needed  protection  for  victims  who  choose  to  raise  children   conceived  through  rape.  A  rapist  pursuing  parental  or  custody  rights  causes  the  survivor  to   have  continued  interaction  with  the  rapist,  which  can  have  traumatic  psychological  effects   on  the  survivor,  and  can  make  it  more  difficult  for  her  to  recover.  These  traumatic  effects  on   the  mother  can  severely  negatively  impact  her  ability  to  raise  a  healthy  child.  Rapists  may   use  the  threat  of  pursuing  custody  or  parental  rights  to  coerce  survivors  into  not   prosecuting  rape,  or  otherwise  harass,  intimidate,  or  manipulate  them.       We  support  the  organizations  that  stand  at  the  front  lines  providing  assistance  for  victims  of   trafficking  and  rape.  We  know  that  the  Senate  version  of  the  JVTA  would  provide  crucial   resources  and  protections  for  survivors  of  these  crimes.    We  urge  you  to  move  quickly  to   take  up  and  pass  S.  178.     Thank  you.     The  Member  Organizations  of  the  National  Task  Force  to     End  Sexual  and  Domestic  Violence  

                                                                                                                1  Coalition  to  Abolish  Slavery  and  Trafficking,  http://www.castla.org/key-­‐stats.     2  Right4girls,  http://rights4girls.org/issue-­‐areas/?issue=trafficking-­‐of-­‐girls.