Rep. Susan Davis announced new legislation Wednesday intended to help prevent sex trafficking by training teachers to spot the warning signs.
The Congresswoman was flanked by representatives from the California Department of Justice, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department and the San Diego Police Department as she announced the Empower Educators to Prevent Trafficking Act in Spring Valley.
“Our educators not only want their schools to be a place of learning but also a place where our children are safe,” said Davis, a senior member of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. “Local school districts are setting the standard for creating programs to detect the signs that may lead to their students becoming victims of sex trafficking. The federal government should help them.”
Davis’s bill would authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants to school districts to establish a program if one doesn’t already exist, expand an existing program, and receive continued support for their efforts to train school staff.
School districts in areas identified by the FBI as having high levels of child sex trafficking would be given priority in the distribution of grant money.
Each year, there are an estimated 8,000 to 11,000 victims of sex trafficking in San Diego County, with schools being prime recruiting sites. The average age of entry into sex trafficking is 14 to 15.
Davis represents the 53rd Congressional District, which includes central San Diego, La Mesa, Lemon Grove, Spring Valley, and parts of El Cajon and Chula Vista.
