(Washington, DC) – The U.S. House of Representatives voted today to pass a Senate-approved version of the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA), paving the way for President Obama to sign into law the United States’ most important tool in the fight against human trafficking and modern-day slavery. An estimated 27 million people worldwide are victims of modern-day slavery, and human trafficking is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world, generating over $32 billion in profits to traffickers annually.

The TVPRA reauthorizes key federal anti-trafficking programs for the next four years; provides for new partnerships with cooperating countries to protect children and prevent trafficking; adds new protections for human trafficking victims; and provides new tools to prosecutors to go after the traffickers who exploit others.

The law expired in 2011, leaving critical programs to fight human trafficking and provide survivor services at risk. The Senate demonstrated overwhelming bipartisan support earlier this month, voting 93-5 for the TVPRA when Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) offered it as an amendment to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) reauthorization bill. The House approved the bipartisan VAWA and TVPRA by a vote of 286 to 138.

“Congratulations to Congress for strengthening important protections and services for survivors of human trafficking, as well as domestic and sexual violence, by reauthorizing both the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Violence Against Women Act. With the President’s signature on this bill, we can continue to build a strong response against human trafficking, including enhanced services for children, and most importantly we can prevent these egregious crimes from occurring in the first place.” -Marina Colby, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations, ECPAT-USA