The past two nights, I’ve watched a special on TV about human trafficking, and I’ve been shaken and disturbed. Here’s what I learned:
Each day, around the world, women and girls are bought and sold. Too often, their stories go untold and many Americans have no idea that human trafficking, including slavery and forced prostitution, is happening in their own neighborhoods. You can send a letter to Congress today to stop this horror.
One of the ways in which women are trafficked into the United States is through international marriage brokers. Many women in poor countries are so desperate for security and a better life that they are willing to use these brokers to find a stable home, becoming “mail-order brides.”
But the marketing practices of many international marriage brokers attract predatory abusers with a history of violence against women and children.
As a result, women seeking better lives in our country are being abused, even murdered, by the men they meet through these brokers.
Domestic abuse of mail-order brides is just one example of the larger problem of human trafficking in the United States and around the world.
Each year alone, approximately 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. and then sold into a life of exploitation and/or slave labor. And a staggering 80% of trafficking victims are women and girls.
There is a bill in Congress right now that can help to protect women from abusive men and unscrupulous international marriage brokers: the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act (IMBRA), H.R.3657.
Please help to end the horror of human trafficking by urging your representative to act today!
By Rebecca Young
