Congresspeople, human trafficking experts, survivor leaders and consultants convened at the U.S. Senate building this week to strengthen our collective anti-trafficking efforts.
This is the 5th Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIP) Policy Leader Roundtable, aimed at sharing best practice, discussing policy gaps, and promoting survivor support.
The ATIP Policy Leader Roundtable. Photo credit: Bernadette Rohan
Independent Anti-Labor Trafficking Consultant, Ronny Marty, who sits on Hope for Justice’s Survivor Leadership Council, spoke at this year’s event. He said: “It was an honor to participate in this roundtable, where urgent gaps were addressed, from the lack of safe housing for children, with some placed in Airbnbs, to the need for more stable foster care houses. I was encouraged to hear leaders confront the rise of digital sexual exploitation in 2025 and push for accountability from social media platforms. Discussions on preventing organ trafficking and removing harmful credit history barriers for survivors show meaningful progress. Everything shared aligned deeply with my goals as a survivor and advocate.”
Sarah Butler and Ronny Marty at the ATIP Policy Leader Roundtable. Photo credit: Bernadette Rohan
The focus of this year’s ATIP roundtable was on child trafficking prevention, and Ronny emphasised the need for early intervention and protection to safeguard children and young people.
Speaking from experience, Ronny highlighted the importance of legislation in survivor recovery and in enabling victims to rebuild their lives. He said that legislation such as the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which Hope for Justice has been a long-term supporter of, are central to removing barriers for survivors after exploitation. “True freedom”, he said, “includes the ability to move forward without the weight of past criminalization, and to access real opportunities for stability and growth.”
In his speech, he also talked about his role on Hope for Justice’s Survivor Leadership Council, and how the organization is including survivors in meaningful ways, because it “ensures that survivor voices are at the center of policy, programs and decision-making, serving as a bridge between lived experience and systems change”.
He added: “In this role, I have contributed to shaping global strategy, advising on policy and ethical survivor inclusion, and helping develop trauma-informed training and leadership pathways for survivors – demonstrating what meaningful survivor engagement can and should look like.”
Ronny Marty speaks at the ATIP Roundtable. Photo credit: Bernadette Rohan
He concluded by calling on those working in the anti-trafficking space to remain united, to collaborate, share responsibility, and ensure meaningful survivor inclusion as a standard of practice.
The roundtable on Wednesday April 22nd was attended by representatives from seven Congressional offices. Hope for Justice sponsored the lunch at this year’s event.
Attendees at the ATIP Policy Leader Roundtable. Photo credit: Bernadette Rohan
A number of legislative actions were proposed in the briefings shared for the ATIP event. Hope for Justice was a strong advocate for the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which unanimously passed the Senate in December last year.
Hope for Justice is also supporting two key pieces of legislation that were discussed at the roundtable. We have endorsed The Generate Recordings of All Child protective Interviews Everywhere (GRACIE) Act, which would incentivize states to require the recording of all Child Protective Services (CPS) agency interviews with children and adults. We are also one of the supporting organizations for the National Human Trafficking Database Act, which would establish a national human trafficking database at the Department of Justice’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), as well as incentivize certain state law enforcement agencies to report data to this database.
Discussion also turned to the future and upcoming policy, legislation and reauthorizations.
Sarah Butler, our United States Program Director, who was also in attendance, said: “It was another wonderful ATIP roundtable. The highlights were certainly introducing Senator Amy Klobuchar before she spoke and for Ronny Marty, of our Survivor Leadership Council, to speak at the event. We made wonderful connections and had the opportunity to hear what is at the top of the legislative agenda for the year ahead.”
