Trafficking Survivors Relief Act

Floor Speech

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Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for yielding.

The Trafficking Survivors Relief Act is very critical, bipartisan legislation that would provide long-overdue relief to victims and survivors of human trafficking to help them overcome the lasting effects of being trafficked and allow them a chance to heal.

It recognizes their unique traumas, the immense challenges that they face after escaping their exploitation, and their right to rebuild their lives with some dignity and some respect.

Victims of trafficking are demeaned. They are dehumanized and coerced by their traffickers, who do not see them as people but see them as objects only to be bought, sold, and abused; but we see them, and we must give them the help that they need and they deserve.

Too often, they emerge with criminal records directly tied to their exploitation. These records follow them along their path long after they are free, preventing them from finding a job, securing safe housing, pursuing education, or even getting treatment for the trauma that they have escaped.

The barriers they face as a result of their records often serve as painful reminders of the abuse that they endured and can make survivors vulnerable to even further exploitation.

Many States, including my State of Georgia, have already passed laws like the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act. It is past time that we take similar steps to do this on the Federal level. By allowing survivors to expunge arrests or vacate nonviolent convictions connected to their trafficking, we give them a chance to reclaim their futures and move forward without the weight of their past being used against them.

Just as we must allow them the ability to shed the lasting remnants of their victimization, we must also provide them with resources and services that they desperately need. Survivors need strong and consistent Federal support to stay safe and move forward.

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Mrs. McBATH. Mr. Speaker, we must ensure our government continues to invest in prevention services and enforcement that keeps survivors protected. Any cuts or weakened efforts will risk putting them back in harm's way or back in the streets, and we cannot allow that to happen.

This bill is about justice, healing, and true restoration. It affirms that survivors are more than the crimes that they are forced to commit. They are human beings deserving of opportunity, safety, and hope.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support putting survivors first and support this bipartisan legislation. I thank Representatives Fry and Johnson for championing this effort. I look forward to working together to ensure that survivors are seen, supported, and given every chance that they can to thrive.

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