Zonta International is a global organization of individuals dedicated to building a better world for women and girls. The Zonta USA Advocacy Action Center is a tool for our members in the United States and other individuals who share our commitment to gender equality to take action to improve the lives of women and girls. With your help, we can make a difference..
This month, the Committee on the Judiciary reviewed the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2025 (H.R. 4323 and S. 2255), which was re-introduced into the current Congressional Session on July 10, 2025 by Representative Russell Fry (R-SC) and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). This bipartisan legislation would establish an affirmative defense to provide survivors with the opportunity to defend against only those charges that arose directly from their trafficking victimization. It would provide critical relief for survivors who have already been convicted as a result of their trafficking victimization through expungement and sentencing mitigation. Specifically, this gives a court the opportunity to grant a motion to vacate a conviction. The defendant must show by a majority of the evidence that the offense was committed as a direct result of having been a victim of trafficking. Additionally, the defendant must establish, by clear evidence, that the defendant was a victim of human trafficking at the time the offense was committed.
“I’m proud to reintroduce the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which would provide much-needed relief to survivors and their families,” said Congressman Russell Fry. “Victims of human trafficking are often forced to engage in criminal activity, leaving them with a federal criminal record. As a result, basic needs such as renting an apartment and getting a job can be impossible for these victims. This legislation would break the cycle and give survivors the ability to move forward.”
“Surviving human trafficking is already traumatic enough, our legal system should not be making it harder to heal,” said Congressman Ted Lieu. “Survivors should not have to go through life with a criminal record because of actions from when they were being trafficked. Being prosecuted and possibly convicted only exacerbates a survivor's trauma and makes it more difficult for them to rebuild their lives. It is time we treat survivors with compassion and understanding.”
Please use our pre-drafted letters to urge your senators and representative to support the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (H.R. 4323 and S. 2255). If they have already sponsored or co-sponsored the bill, you can send a message of thanks.