Rev. Dr. Marian Hatcher
Shared Hope Policy Consultant
Great news, the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (TSRA) H7139 has been introduced by Rep. Russell Fry (R-SC-7) in the 119th Congress. Although it stalled at the close of the 118th Congress, it now has strong bipartisan sponsorship with more than 50 sponsors. Once passed by the House, Senator Hyde-Smith (R-MS) is expected to lead in the Senate. The bill provides relief for survivors who were forced to commit federal crimes (misdemeanors or felonies) by their traffickers in order to survive their trafficking situation—the so-called, victim/offender.
This gives great hope to those of us who for years have been engaged in the difficult—yes, even contentious process of making progress in the anti-trafficking movement.
While the movement itself tends to be made up of silos with differing perspectives and missions and competition for funding, it is also occupied by the polarizing impact of those working to legalize the human rights violation that is called the “sex trade”.
After all, legalizing the selling and buying of sex certainly unburdens society’s collective conscience in matters of survivor recovery, let alone the pursuit of legislative efforts to provide direct services, programs, restoration of rights etc., to survivors.
Refusing the legalization argument leads to the extremely complicated intersection of victim and offender. The TSRA is a federal remedy that acknowledges the reality that many survivors of sex trafficking have been incarcerated for crimes they were forced or coerced to commit by the trafficker or survive their trafficking situation.
I was a victim/offender in Illinois, blessed with a second chance through jail-based treatment at the Cook County Department of Women’s Justice Services. After completing my sentence, I actually became an employee of the Sheriff’s Office in 2005. Ten years later I helped coordinate the Global Summit to End Sexual Exploitation, hosted at the Carter Center to formalize policy proposals and to honor survivors just like me.
It was at this distinguished convening, that I had the opportunity to talk directly to the 39th President of the United States about my experience as both a victim and an offender. I was humbled that I could engage on behalf of Sheriff Dart, a visionary and great humanitarian, with someone who also embodied those rare attributes. I stated “Mr. President, I have been good for the last nine or 10 years, I work for law enforcement. I shouldn’t be a convicted felon”. President Carter shook his head in agreement and simply said “well done”.
In 2017, the Friday before Christmas I received a call from my attorney informing me that my application for Executive Clemency and Expungement was granted by then Governor Bruce Rauner. It was the only remedy available for me, due to the narrow scope of the vacatur statute in Illinois. I am, however, grateful. It was a triggering experience to re-live my trauma to provide a detailed chronological application which basically required an apology for my own exploitation.
It is our responsibility to survivors, known and unknown, to get the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (TSRA) passed in the 119th Congress. The reason is simply the words below. Rest in peace sir.
“The most serious human rights violation on earth is
the abuse of women and girls, and prostitution is the foundation
for all other abuses of women and girls.”
Former President Jimmy Carter May 2015
More resources:
