A bill that just passed the state Senate would require Washington students to learn how to identify sex trafficking and prevent themselves from becoming victims of sex trafficking beginning in the 2025-2026 school year. The bill was written by Eastside Preparatory School senior Ria Bahadur, who wanted to empower students to protect themselves against and mitigate sex trafficking. According to Senate Bill 5355, Washington state is currently the sixth largest epicenter of sex trafficking in the United States and more than 45% of all sex trafficking victims are minors attending school. “Twelve to 18 is the most vulnerable age for a reason," Bahadur said. "It is this lack of education that sex traffickers have exploited since time immemorial to get you into this crime to physically, sexually and psychologically manipulate them into doing actions that violate their own bodies.” Read the full story here: https://www.king5.com/article/news/politics/state-politics/senate-passes-high-school-seniors-bill-requiring-education-on-sex-trafficking/281-ade24e8f-39ab-4a99-b611-8d468d34c7a7