Human trafficking survivors need safety, support and a path to rebuild their lives, not sexual abuse by law enforcement.

But according to Howard Center for Investigative Journalism, federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations "repeatedly paid for and engaged in sex acts with suspected (human trafficking) victims." The investigation further found that "HSI documents show some supervisors knew" of the sexual abuse of these possible human trafficking survivors. 

Many survivors of sex trafficking report being sexually abuse by law enforcement. This abuse is often used by traffickers to further isolate survivors from finding a path away from the trafficker and towards safety.

While it is painful enough when law enforcement is a buyer or threatening arrest to coerce sex from a survivor, it is even more devastating when the abuse is officially sanctioned and used as an investigation tactic. 

In signing this petition, we demand that Homeland Security set a clear federal policy forbidding agents with HSI and all federal programs from having sex with potential victims of human trafficking as part of their investigation.

Sexual abuse of human trafficking survivors should have no place in the practices of Homeland Security.