Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. COLLINS. Madam President, I support S. 178, the Justice for
Victims of Trafficking Act. The bill supports law enforcement officers
and prosecutors in their efforts to prevent, respond to, and combat
human trafficking. Of particular importance, the domestic trafficking
victims' fund created by this legislation would help States and
localities develop training and services for survivors.

In February, I was proud to join all the women in the Senate in
requesting that the Judiciary Committee hold a hearing on human
trafficking. I appreciate the work of Chairman Grassley and Ranking
Member Leahy in quickly scheduling that hearing and thank them for
inviting Senators Mikulski, Ayotte, Gillibrand, and me to testify
before the committee on behalf of all of the women in the Senate. I
applaud the committee's bipartisan work in shining a light on some of
the darkest stories imaginable.

No State is immune from the evils of sex trafficking. Traffickers
lure vulnerable victims with the promises of a better life and use
violence, threats, lies, money, drugs, and other forms of coercion to
trap them in a life of commercial sex. Many criminals who once worked
in drugs have now turned to sex trafficking because it is more
profitable.

The stories of victims are shocking. Just this past January, police
in Bangor, ME, arrested a man and woman for allegedly forcing a 13-
year-old girl into prostitution. This child, who was listed as a
missing person, was being sold for sex through ads on the Internet.
Unfortunately, there are many horrific cases like this occurring across
the country.

The policies and tools for law enforcement, prosecutors, and
survivors included in S. 178 are important pieces of a strong Federal
response to human trafficking, and I commend Senators Cornyn and
Klobuchar for their work on this legislation.

I also hope the Senate will adopt an amendment I have cosponsored
with Senator Leahy that would reauthorize the Runaway and Homeless
Youth Act programs, which provide critical preventive and treatment
services that help homeless youth around the country. Runaway and
homeless youth are especially vulnerable to becoming victims of
trafficking and sexual exploitation. A meaningful response to the very
serious problem of human trafficking must also ensure that those most
vulnerable to human trafficking--including our Nation's homeless
youth--have the resources they need. The preventive measures provided
by the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act programs can help stem the tide
of potential trafficking victims.

The State of Maine is doing its part to end the scourge of human
trafficking, where the Not Here Justice in Action Network and other
partnerships between law enforcement and service providers are helping
to raise awareness and help victims. Our health care workers in Maine
are also tremendous partners. St. Joseph Hospital in Bangor, ME, for
example, has focused its efforts on educating and training clinicians,
nurses, and emergency medical providers to recognize the signs of human
trafficking among their patients. With the proper tools and training,
these nurses can intervene. They are learning how to identify victims
and how to ask the right questions, which are critically important to
keeping these atrocities from continuing.

The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act offers important supports
for victims and enhanced tools for our law enforcement. I urge my
colleagues to support the bill.

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