Washington, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jon Ossoff is introducing a bipartisan bill to protect children from human traffickers.
Sens. Ossoff and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) introduced the bipartisan Preventing Child Trafficking Act of 2025 to strengthen coordination between the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to prevent child trafficking.
According to a 2023 U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, agencies within the Departments collaborate to prevent human trafficking broadly, but no mechanisms were in place to collaborate specifically on child trafficking prevention.
Improving collaboration would “enable the offices to overcome challenges specific to children and meet the distinct needs of child trafficking survivors,” the GAO report said.
“Child trafficking in Georgia and nationwide is a crisis. That’s why I’m introducing this bipartisan bill with Senator Grassley to strengthen Federal protections for vulnerable children and increase support for victims of trafficking,” Sen. Ossoff said.
“The federal government can and must do more to prevent children from falling prey to the evils of human trafficking. By strengthening collaboration between federal agencies, our bill aims to more effectively prevent future instances of trafficking, prosecute criminals and safeguard vulnerable children,” Grassley said.
According to news reports, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation has warned that Georgia is a hotspot for human trafficking, given its large international airport, easy access to highways across major cities, and several large sporting events. This year, the Georgia Department of Public Health also reported that more than 370 girls are trafficked in Georgia every month.
Sen. Ossoff continues working to protect children from abuse and human trafficking.
Earlier this year, Sens. Ossoff and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the bipartisan Supporting Victims of Human Trafficking Act, which would cut red tape to better respond to the needs of service organizations working with victims of human trafficking and create additional flexibility in certain grant programs.
Last year, Sen. Ossoff’s bipartisan REPORT Act with Sen. Blackburn became law, which — for the first time — required websites and social media platforms to report crimes involving Federal trafficking and enticement of children to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).
In 2023, Sens. Ossoff and Grassley’s bipartisan Preventing Child Sex Abuse Act of 2023 was signed into law, which will strengthen Federal protections against the sexual abuse of children, including online exploitation.
Click here to read the Preventing Child Trafficking Act of 2025.
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