Call on Congress to support the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2025.
In response to human trafficking, the ELCA brings distinctive theological witness grounded in the recognition that every person is made in the image of God and has God-given dignity and worth. Human trafficking is coercion, abduction and/or imprisonment of people for forced labor, often of a sexual nature.
Christians are called to recognuze and lament the profound harm trafficking inflicts, while also bearing witness to God's healing, justice and hope. The church listens to and lifts up the experience of survivors, affirming both the reality of their suffering and the possibility of freedom and restoration.
The ELCA social message "Commercial Sexual Exploitation" reflects on the sin at work when persons become objects to be used for the benefit of others and calls the churhc to combat the evils of trafficking systems. Of sex trafficking, it notes: "This church supports international agreements and national laws to stop sex trafficking and calls for the will and the resources to enforce them."
The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization At of 2025 (H.R. 1144) gives Congress the opportunity to pass legislation that will:
- Prioritize the dignity and experiences of survivors.
- Reauthorize funding that strengthens anti-trafficking measures and increases survivors' protection.
- Support educational grants for prevention and wide-ranging social services.
In 2025, Women of the ELCA urged education, awareness and advocacy to combat human trafficking, including this prayer: "We pray that the Spirit moves us to remember that we are worthy; we are not objects, even if we are treated as such... We pray that the Spirit teaches all of us new ways to fight against this practice so that someday soon we can say how glad we are that this is not an issue anymore."
Successful passage of this transformative bipartisan legislation is possible. Take action now and encourage members of Congress to support survivors and pass H.R. 1144.
[Posted: 7/9/2026]
