A bipartisan bill has been introduced to study the prevalence of human trafficking at strip clubs. The Study to Observe and Prevent (STOP) Human Trafficking Act of 2023 was introduced by Florida Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D) and Mike Waltz (R).
After introducing the WARRIOR Act earlier this month, Rep. Waltz has now joined a bipartisan effort to address human trafficking. The bill would direct the U.S. Attorney General to conduct a study regarding the prevalence and instances of human trafficking at adult entertainment clubs. The study would be in coordination with the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons and relevant human trafficking organizations, and the findings would then be reported to Congress.
The study would examine the nature of victims being trafficked, the demographics of victims, the victims’ relationship to the establishment, and the methods that were used by the traffickers. The Attorney General would then have 15 months to finalize the study and submit the findings to Congress.
In a statement, Waltz informed that “strip clubs are known to be high-risk locations for human trafficking, a multi-billion-dollar criminal industry affecting nearly 25 million people worldwide.”
“Unfortunately, the federal government lacks the data necessary to fully understand the scope of this problem at these venues,” Waltz discussed, noting that lawmakers “have an obligation to ensure young workers at these clubs are protected from any and all forms of trafficking and exploitation.”
Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick called the bill “a critical step towards combating human trafficking that plagues Florida’s adult entertainment clubs.”
“Despite rampant exploitation, the federal government lacks the necessary data to address this issue and stop the most heinous criminal offenders,” she added, explaining that “by mandating a comprehensive study and fostering inter-agency coordination, this bipartisan bill will yield the robust information needed to confront human trafficking head-on and keep vulnerable individuals safe.”
