I 
108TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. R. 5269
To combat unlawful commercial sex activities by targeting demand, to protect 
children from being exploited by such activities, to prohibit the operation 
of sex tours, to assist State and local governments to enforce laws 
dealing with commercial sex activities, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
OCTOBER 7, 2004
Ms. PRYCE of Ohio (for herself and Mrs. MALONEY) introduced the following 
bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary 
A BILL 
To combat unlawful commercial sex activities by targeting 
demand, to protect children from being exploited by such 
activities, to prohibit the operation of sex tours, to assist 
State and local governments to enforce laws dealing with 
commercial sex activities, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE; TABLE OF CONTENTS. 
(a) SHORT TITLE.—This Act may be cited as the 
‘‘Domestic Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2004’’. 
(b) TABLE OF CONTENTS.—The table of contents for 
this Act is as follows:
Sec. 1. Short title; table of contents. 
Sec. 2. Findings and purposes. 
Sec. 3. Definitions. 
Sec. 4. Prosecution of purchasers, traffickers, and exploiters of commercial sex 
acts. 
Sec. 5. Strengthening prosecution and punishment of traffickers, purchasers, 
and exploiters of commercial sex acts. 
Sec. 6. Special operating group participation. 
Sec. 7. Reports.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND PURPOSES. 
(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following find-
ings: 
(1) The unlawful trafficking of persons for com-
mercial sexual activities has a devastating impact on 
society. 
(2) An alarming number of individuals who are 
used for unlawful commercial sexual activities are 
socially and economically marginalized, and kept in 
effective bondage by threats or acts of physical and 
sexual abuse. These individuals are victimized by the 
prevalence of unlawful commercial sex. A dispropor-
tionate number of these victims are women and chil-
dren. 
(3) Although current laws punish traffickers, 
exploiters, and purchasers of unlawful commercial 
sex activities, these laws are typically enforced dis-
proportionately against the individuals, predomi-
nantly women and girls, who are used in the unlaw-
ful activities, instead of against the traffickers, ex-
ploiters, and purchasers, who are predominantly 
men. 
(4) According to recent studies—
(A) 11 females used in unlawful commer-
cial sex acts were arrested in Boston for every 
arrest of a male purchaser; 
(B) 9 females used in unlawful commercial 
sex acts were arrested in Chicago for every ar-
rest of a male purchaser; and 
(C) 6 females used in unlawful commercial 
sex acts were arrested in New York City for 
every arrest of a male purchaser. 
(5) Some studies reveal that unlawful commer-
cial sex is a frequent gateway crime for women who 
later commit more serious criminal offenses. Over 70 
percent of female inmates in American prisons were 
first arrested for engaging in commercial sex acts. 
For every 3 women in jails in the United States 
today, 1 was arrested for prostitution, and 7 of 
every 10 women imprisoned on felony convictions 
were initially arrested for prostitution. 
(6) The emotional and physical ramifications of 
unlawful sex trafficking of children as well as women 
are staggering, leading to an increased risk of—
(A) sexual and physical assault;
(B) violence; 
(C) suicide; 
(D) pregnancy; 
(E) abortion; 
(F) sexually transmitted diseases, includ-
ing AIDS; 
(G) post-traumatic stress disorder; and 
(H) death.
(7) Unlawful sex trafficking has a particularly 
devastating and alarming impact upon children. Ac-
cording to some estimates, between 100,000 to 
300,000 children are victimized by unlawful sex traf-
ficking at any given time. According to the 
CyberTipline of the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children, reports of child sexual exploi-
tation, including child pornography, child prostitu-
tion, online enticement of children, and child sex 
tourism, have increased 750 percent over the past 5 
years. 
(8) Runaway children are especially vulnerable 
to unlawful sex traffickers, who lure these children 
into devastating lives as victims of commercial sex 
acts, with promises of food, clothing, and shelter.
(9) According to the Office of Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention in the Department of 
Justice, in 2002—
(A) over 1,300,000 children were missing 
in the United States; 
(B) as many as 775,000 of these children 
are runaways; and 
(C) 76 percent of runaway children who 
call the National Runaway Switchboard are 
girls under the age of 18. 
(10) The United Nations estimates that unlaw-
ful sex trafficking, including sex tourism, generates 
approximately $5,000,000,000 a year in revenues. 
There are a number of United States-based compa-
nies that overtly and explicitly facilitate sex tours, 
often involving the sexual exploitation of children. 
According to some estimates, up to 1⁄4 of inter-
national sex tourists are American. 
(11) Under the Trafficking Victims Protection 
Act of 2000 (22 U.S.C. 7101 et seq.), the United 
States is committed to ending the international traf-
ficking of persons for slavery, including sex slavery. 
The achievement of significant progress in reducing 
unlawful sex trafficking within our own borders will 
bolster United States efforts to eliminate inter-
national trafficking of persons for slavery, including 
sex slavery, around the world. 
(12) Stronger enforcement of laws prohibiting 
commercial sex against traffickers, exploiters, and 
purchasers may dramatically improve enforcement 
and reduce the victimization of women and children 
used in unlawful sex trafficking.
(13) Additional research and statistics at the 
national, State, and local level will help us to under-
stand more fully the extent of unlawful commercial 
sex activities within the United States, and the most 
effective strategies for combating such unlawful ac-
tivities. 
(b) PURPOSES.—The purposes of this Act are—
(1) to support the development of more effective 
means of combating unlawful commercial sex activi-
ties by targeting demand; 
(2) to protect children from the predators and 
exploiters who use them in commercial sex activities; 
(3) to clarify that the operation of sex tours is 
prohibited under Federal law; and 
(4) to assist State and local governments in 
their enforcement of existing laws dealing with com-
mercial sex activities.