This Halloween it may not be a good idea to dress in that well-known purple pimp costume. Each year, up to 300,000 children are sex trafficked in the United States.

According to the Nest Foundation [1], child victims of sex-trafficking are often imprisoned and charged for prostitution instead of being properly sheltered and helped.

But just like the aforementioned pimp costume, this trend (hopefully) won't last forever. The United States Senate is soon going to vote to renew the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2011 and you can encourage your Senator to include the Wyden-Cornyn provision, which provides States with money for programs that helps victims and provides them with safe shelter.

What Can You Do?

Write your Senator to urge him or her to vote in support of the bill. Here's how:

Find The Right Person

Senate.gov provides a list of all senators along with their D.C. addresses.

House.gov will give your representatives contact information.

Write and Send

Here's a template you can use to write your Senator. Then, send it off to the address that you've found online.

SAMPLE LETTER

[SENATOR/REPRESENTATIVE'S OFFICE ADDRESS]

Dear [SENATOR or REPRESENTATIVE] [LAST NAME]

I am a resident of [HOMETOWN and STATE] and I am writing to urge you to co-sponsor and support S.596, “Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2011” and to include the Wyden-Cornyn provision within S.1301, “Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2011.” This bipartisan bill would provide grants to help children with desperately needed services and shelter, and law enforcement with resources to fight child sex trafficking.

Thank you for considering this matter.
Sincerely,

(your handwritten signature)

[YOUR NAMED PRINTED]

Content provided by The Playground Project [2]