Wagner Continues Fight Against Trafficking, Introduces the Stop Gendercide Act of 2018

Press Release

Today, Congresswoman Ann Wagner (MO-02) and Congresswoman Karen Bass (CA-37) introduced the Stop Gendercide Act of 2018 to research the effect of gendercide on human trafficking.

"An estimated 126 million women are missing from the world population due to systematic gender-based violence, neglect, and even infanticide," said Congresswoman Wagner. "It is heartbreaking when the lives of young girls are valued less than the lives of young boys, and Congress must stand up against the promotion of violence against girls around the world. These patterns of violence have led to skewed sex ratios in certain national and sub-national populations. In these populations, there is evidence that heightened demand for women can make them more vulnerable to human trafficking crimes, child marriage, and exploitation. This legislation will give the U.S. government, partner nations, and civil society the information they need to better respond to changes in human trafficking patterns driven by violence against women and girls."

"The Stop Gendercide Act of 2018 is vital to ending human trafficking," said Jill McElya, President and CEO of the Invisible Girl Project. "In countries such as India, female gendercide has resulted in men outnumbering women by the millions, resulting in the trafficking of little girls and women. In order to effectively address trafficking, gendercide must also be confronted. Invisible Girl Project fully supports this legislation and is optimistic that Congress will determine its enactment is critical to combatting human trafficking globally."

In addition to the Invisible Girl Project, other supporting organizations include the Gendercide Awareness Project, Vital Voices, and Women's Rights without Frontiers.

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