On Thursday, April 23rd, 2026, advocates, survivors, and lawmakers gathered for a press conference on Capitol Hill to call for the passage of HR 1144, the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act. The bipartisan bill would reauthorize and strengthen the government’s anti-trafficking architecture, and provide needed support services for trafficking survivors. 

Survivor engagement is critical to creating effective responses to sex trafficking. Without survivor input, policies often miss the mark on what survivors actually face and need. Centering survivor voices leads to more trauma-informed, responsive, and impactful solutions. Here are a few examples of the progress and ongoing advocacy that happen when survivors get involved…

These women were creating trafficking prevention and survivor-recovery programs, partnerships and solutions long before trafficking was even recognized in public discourse…

Congress has overwhelmingly passed the bill to release the Epstein files. For far too long, survivors of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell have spoken out, only to be met by institutional silence and inaction.

Anora has garnered national attention, winning several awards it was nominated for at The Oscars, including Best Picture. Despite being praised for destigmatizing the commercial sex trade, it has glossed over the experiences of survivors of human trafficking. 

There is continuous research that reaffirms that boys are an underserved population and often fall through the cracks of child protection systems because of biases against their victimization.