III 

114TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 81 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that children trafficked for sex in the 

United States should not be treated or regarded as child prostitutes 

because there is no such thing as a ‘‘child prostitute’’, only children 

who are victims or survivors of rape and sex trafficking. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

FEBRUARY 12, 2015 

Mrs. GILLIBRAND (for herself, Mr. RUBIO, Mr. BLUMENTHAL, Mrs. FEINSTEIN, and Mr. GRASSLEY) submitted the following resolution; which was 

considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Expressing the sense of the Senate that children trafficked 

for sex in the United States should not be treated or 

regarded as child prostitutes because there is no such 

thing as a ‘‘child prostitute’’, only children who are victims or survivors of rape and sex trafficking. 

Whereas the Federal Bureau of Investigation estimates that 

hundreds of thousands of children in the United States 

are at risk of being commercially exploited through sex 

trafficking; 

Whereas children as young as 11 years old may be subjected 

to the commercial sex market as victims of sex trafficking; 


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•SRES 81 ATS 

Whereas many child victims of sex trafficking have experienced previous physical or sexual abuse, vulnerabilities 

that traffickers exploit to manipulate the victims into a 

life of sexual slavery through sex trafficking; 

Whereas many child victims of sex trafficking are hidden in 

plain view, standing at bus stops, in runaway and homeless youth shelters, and advertised online; and 

Whereas many child victims of sex trafficking who have not 

yet attained the age of consent are arrested and detained 

for juvenile prostitution or status offenses directly related 

to their exploitation: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) encourages the Departments of Justice, 

3 Health and Human Services, and Labor, and all 

4 other relevant Federal entities, to treat children 

5 trafficked for sex as victims or survivors of rape and 

6 sex trafficking; 

7 (2) supports efforts to arrest and prosecute sex 

8 traffickers and buyers of children trafficked for sex, 

9 in accordance with applicable State and Federal sex 

10 trafficking statutes, and State child protection laws 

11 against abuse and statutory rape, in order to take 

12 all necessary measures to protect the most vulner13 able children in the United States; 

14 (3) supports survivors of child sex trafficking, 

15 including efforts to raise awareness of this tragedy 


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•SRES 81 ATS 

1 and of the comprehensive services necessary to heal 

2 from the trauma of sexual violence and exploitation; 

3 (4) urges lawmakers, law enforcement, the 

4 media, and the public to reframe the trafficking of 

5 children for sex as an act of violence against chil6 dren and not as mere vice, prostitution, or sex work, 

7 because there is no such thing as a ‘‘child pros8 titute’’, only children who are victims or survivors of 

9 rape and sex trafficking; and 

10 (5) supports an end to the demand for children 

11 in the commercial sex market, by supporting efforts 

12 to ensure that children in the United States are not 

13 for sale and that any person who is trafficking or 

14 purchasing a child for sex shall be punished under 

15 the full force of the law. 

Æ 


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