The opinion piece goes into great detail on what sex workers go through as they, over the years, have found first-hand that services such as Venmo, PayPal and GoFundMe will either not allow money exchange on their platforms, or cancel established accounts and fundraisers.
While the exclusion from payment platforms isn’t necessarily current news, a new bill making its way through the ranks is news: H.R. 2219 (115th): End Banking for Human Traffickers Act of 2018. The bill, back by Elizabeth Warren, would bring even more concern to the constitutional rights that have been viciously attacked for those who look to earn and have their deposits kept in a safe, government-protected envirnonment.
“The legislation would:
- Require the State Department’s annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) reports to include a nation-by-nation analysis of whether each foreign country has a mechanism to prevent financial transactions from people accused or suspected of human trafficking.
- Add the Secretary of the Treasury to the list of top government officials on the President’s Interagency Task Force To Monitor and Combat Trafficking, to add more of a financial oversight element.
- Direct the Office of Terrorism and Financial Intelligence to include in its responsibilities “combating illicit financing relating to severe forms of trafficking in persons.”
At this time, both Elizabeth Warren and Senator Marco Rubio are together in major support of working on turning this bill into legislation.
There are ways for workers to protect their assets, as the Slixa opinion piece eloquently lays out, giving vital information to those who look to be as informative on the current processes as possible.