Today, with the Kids are Not For Sale Coalition, supporters all over Virginia are hoping to spread the word loud and clear:
LET’S FINALLY PASS THIS! THERE ISN’T A STAND-ALONE SEX TRAFFICKING LAW IN VIRGINIA BUT WE NEED ONE!
Okay, be honest. Did you know that?
A few years back before our organization became NOVA HTI, a few of us were talking with a local top-level judge. He told us we didn’t think we needed a stand-alone law declaring human trafficking illegal, because wouldn’t kidnapping cover human trafficking? Well, as most victims aren’t kidnapped, we told him we didn’t think it was sufficient. He continued to muse, which clearly indicated to us that he didn’t actually really know what human trafficking was, let alone the needed laws to enforce eradicating it. But, because it was a popular thing, he told us maybe he would consider getting on board with it to help his re-election.
In the suburbs of D.C., peoples. True story.
Thanks to some amazing efforts, especially by Richmond Justice Initiative and Shared Hope International, a coalition has formed working very hard to create at least a stand-alone sex trafficking law. Today they bring it before the state senate and are urging Virginia’s everywhere to show their support.
Once upon a time I realized when one calls/tweets/writes/thunderclaps their representatives, someone tally’s these marks “in support of” for the day. If there is a substantial amount that day, it really catches the representatives eye and they usually feel inclined (or at least pressured) to respond and pay attention to said issue/law.
Considering, today Virginians are bombarding them for support of a stand-alone law (and hopefully after today, as well).
It really isn’t very hard. It took me about 30 seconds to fill out a form which emailed my state delegate/senator something. Then I tweeted it to them too, but that took five whole minutes (because I didn’t know what district I lived in and had to look it up and then look-up my delegates twitter accounts, as I didn’t want to call them).
Five minutes and thirty seconds. (As I assume you are smarter than me, I am pretty sure you can knock-this-out even quicker!)
All the information you need is on this particular link!
If you don’t like Virginia (excuse me, I mean LIVE in Virginia), check out Polaris’ webpage. I am pretty confident you have laws in your state that need to pass too in standing against the injustice of human trafficking!
In addition, you can call the members of the Courts of Justice Criminal Law Sub-Committee and ask them to vote in favor of reporting the Kids Are Not For Sale Coalition-supported Committee Substitute Amendment for sex trafficking bill, HB 1964, today. Here is a script (which you can also use if you want to call your local state delegates):
“My name is ________________, and I am calling Delegate ______________ on behalf of the Kids Are Not For Sale in Virginia Coalition. I am concerned that Virginia is the only state in the nation without a human trafficking law, and I strongly support the sex trafficking bill, HB 1964. Please tell Delegate ______________ to vote in favor of reporting the Coalition-supported Committee Substitute for HB 1964 on Monday.”
On a positive note, four bills passed in the House today on a federal level to help curb human trafficking! Check them out!
