03.19.18

Bipartisan Support for Legislation Protecting Victims of Sex Trafficking

'From 2010 to 2015, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saw reports of suspected child sex trafficking increase more than eight fold… Part of the problem is a 1996 communications law that’s being misused to protect websites that knowingly facilitate sex trafficking. The legislation before the Senate will reform that law and ensure these institutions can be held accountable for facilitating these heinous crimes.'

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) delivered the following remarks today on the Senate floor regarding the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA):

“Later this week, the Senate will turn to another important matter related to Americans’ safety and security. We’ll take up legislation to combat the evil of sex trafficking. Keeping children safe from exploitation has been a key focus for several of us, going back some years.

“In 1984, I advocated for passage of the Missing Children’s Assistance Act. In the 1990s, I was proud to introduce measures that mandated centralized reporting for missing children’s cases and created a national database and screening system to identify abusers. In 2003, I joined a number of colleagues as founding members of the Senate Caucus on Missing, Exploited, and Runaway Children. As recently as 2015, the Senate passed the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act.

“This week, it’s time to build on these achievements and take another step. It’s time to confront the reality that trafficking has largely moved ‘from the street corner to the smartphone.’ From 2010 to 2015, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children saw reports of suspected child sex trafficking increase more than eight fold. Last year alone, more than 8,500 cases were reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.

“Part of the problem is a 1996 communications law that’s being misused to protect websites that knowingly facilitate sex trafficking. The legislation before the Senate will reform that law and ensure these institutions can be held accountable for facilitating these heinous crimes. Senator Portman has worked long and hard on this subject. He has helped assemble a broad, bipartisan coalition. I urge everyone to join me in voting to advance this legislation later this afternoon.”

Related Issues: Combating Sex Trafficking