You + 1 phone call = help for victims of child trafficking

What happens when a child is rescued from human trafficking in the US? 

If they're foreign, there's funding to help them and places for them to heal.

If they're US citizens, however, there's almost nowhere for them to go and no money to help them.  In fact, in the entire US there are only 80 beds available for domestic minor sex trafficking victims.

Each year in the US at least 100,000 children are victims of commercial sex exploitation--some as young as 5.

You have an opportunity to help these children today with a simple phone call.  Today is the National Call-In Day to urge Congress to pass the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and Victims Support Act (H.R. 5575). It would provide child victims of human trafficking access to services and shelters, and also provide grants to train law enforcement and increase investigations.

Here's how you can help:

1. Go to www.house.gov and find your congressional representative; just type your zip code in the top left “Find Your Representative” section.

2. Call the House switchboard TODAY to support the bill at (202) 224-3121 and ask to be connected with your representative's office. Once connected, tell them you'd like to urge your congressional rep to support H.R. 5575.  Here's an example of what you can say, courtesy of the Polaris Project:

"Hi, my name is________ , and I am a constituent living in [town/city]. I'm calling to urge Congress(woman/man)______ to co-sponsor and support H.R.5575, a bi-partisan bill that seeks to combat and address the sex trafficking of children in America.  I'm very concerned about this issue because children are being trafficked across the U.S. by the thousands each day and there are only a handful of beds and shelters in the country to serve their many needs as survivors of such a heinous crime. It's time for Congress to act. Will the Congress(woman/man) co-sponsor and support this important legislation?"

I called my congressman, and sadly I must have been the first because the person I talked to was not aware of this legislation--although as he put it, who could be against it?

It took about 5 minutes. Even if you read this after the call-in date, your phone call will still be effective. Please call today.

Comments

[Dug Shelby]

If you don't mind, I want to post this information on my blog as well.

Your work is amazing, as are the children you are helping.

Dug
http://thf2.wordpress.com