What You Can Do Now to Fight For Survivors

Find contact information for your Senators and Representatives here

Email Congress

Dear Senator/Representative __________,

I am writing to urge Senator/Representative ___________ to act to protect funding for human trafficking victim services from the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP) and the Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), Office on Violence Against Women, and Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) programs. The recent cancellation of 50 OVC grants and attempts to claw back funds set aside by Congress for survivors are direct attacks on survivors’ ability to seek safety. Without this funding in place, entire states and communities will lose their only service provider for safe housing, legal assistance, food assistance, and counseling. 

Congress established these victim services programs in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and VOCA. Congress has overwhelmingly voted to continue these programs over the last 40 years and increase funding to ensure survivors across the country are able to escape and access what they need to survive. Congress should take action to ensure the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services distribute grant funds in accordance with the TVPA, VAWA, VOCA, and Congressional appropriations. Protecting and fully funding these lifesaving programs is critical to protecting survivors and preventing re-exploitation. 

[Optional: add why this is important to you specifically, why your community needs these services]

I urge you to protect all victim services that survivors in the US need to survive, including grants through the OVC, OTIP, OVW, and VOCA funds. Congress should pursue oversight to ensure appropriated funds are spent in accordance with the law and that new appropriations are made to prevent lapses in services for survivors. Survivors in your district rely on these grants to escape trafficking and rebuild their lives. Allowing these funds to disappear would enable human trafficking and put survivors’ lives at risk.

Sincerely,

__________ [Your Name]

__________ [Your Zip code]

Call Congress

My name is ___________, and I am a constituent calling to urge Senator/Representative XXXX to protect funding for human trafficking victim services from the Department of Health and Human Services Office on Trafficking in Persons and the Department of Justice, including Office for Victims of Crime, Office on Violence Against Women, and Victims of Crime Act programs. Without this funding in place, survivors in many states will lose their only service provider for safe housing, legal assistance, food assistance, and counseling. 

[Optional: add why this is important to you specifically, why your community needs these services]

I urge you to protect all victim services that survivors in the US need to survive, including grants through the OVC, OTIP, OVW, and VOCA funds. Survivors in your district rely on these grants to escape trafficking and rebuild their lives. Allowing these funds to disappear would put survivors’ lives at risk and allow traffickers to terrorize our community.