Human Trafficking

Floor Speech

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Mr. LaHOOD. Madam Speaker, this month, we celebrate Human Trafficking and National Slavery Prevention Month, and I rise today to draw attention to the importance of combating this epidemic.

Human trafficking takes many forms, including sex, forced labor, and domestic servitude. Educating individuals about human trafficking is essential to thwarting this modern day form of slavery.

This need for increased awareness is why I have partnered with the Center for Prevention of Abuse in Peoria, Illinois, and also the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to host two human trafficking awareness prevention roundtables in my district, bringing together State, local, and Federal officials. We held valuable dialogues with those on the front lines of this crisis about ways to end human trafficking for good.

This week, I am proud to be joining my colleague, Congresswoman Val Demings from Florida, to introduce a resolution to formally recognize January as National Trafficking and Modern Day Slavery Prevention Month in Congress.

As I have learned firsthand, combating human trafficking will take a multifaceted approach, but if we continue to educate and make resources available at all levels, important strides can be made and we can end this crisis.

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