Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 -- Continued

Floor Speech

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Mr. CASSIDY. Mr. President, I rise today to discuss a serious crime
and a violation of human rights that must be stopped--human
trafficking. It is a form of modern-day slavery, people profiting from
the control and exploitation of others.

I rise as a doc, a fellow who has practiced in the public hospital
system for 32 years, understanding the unique role nurses, physicians,
and other health care providers play in this issue.

Health care providers are frontline and one of the few to interact
directly with trafficked women and children. A recent survey published in the
Annals of Health Law reports that 28 percent of trafficked women sought
a health care professional while being held captive.

Now, this does not mean that the nurse, the doctor or other health
care provider had the training to recognize it, but because of the
unique and critical involvement with these victims, it is important
these health care providers do have the tested tools and training to
identify and help those being trafficked.

The Trafficking Awareness Training for Health Care amendment would
save lives and, as importantly, would begin the rebuilding of lives
destroyed by modern-day slavery. It would provide for the development
of best practices to enable health care workers to recognize and assist
victims of human trafficking.

It is proven that many trafficking victims report receiving health
care from federally funded clinics and emergency rooms while in
captivity yet, as I mentioned earlier, they go undetected. This
legislation would improve the awareness of health care workers,
ultimately helping these victims.

Senator Tim Kaine recently spoke about a missive that Pope Francis
gave on Ash Wednesday, calling for us to be ``islands of mercy in a sea
of indifference.'' The ethic of nurses, physicians, and other health
care workers is to be that merciful creature. This would give them the
training to better enable them to be that ``island'' in what for that
woman or child caught in captivity must seem a ``sea of indifference.''

Having passed the House by unanimous consent, this amendment
represents a bipartisan effort that will enable the medical community
to bring relief to those suffering in ways that those of us who have
never been there cannot imagine.

Senator Peters is joining me in this bipartisan effort. I urge my
colleagues to support this amendment and help transform victims of
trafficking into survivors and people who blossom.

I yield back.

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