Hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee - Human Trafficking in the United States: Protecting the Victim

Hearing

I'd like to welcome you all to today's hearing on human trafficking. Trafficking, which involves
the buying and selling of human beings to profit from their labor or sexual degradation, is a
crime with life-shattering effects for many of its victims.

Reliable data on the number of human trafficking victims within our country's borders is not
readily available. But there are some things we do know about this form of modern day slavery.
We know, for example, that the United States is a source, transit and destination country for
individuals who are being trafficked.

We know that human trafficking occurs in every state and that it affects both U.S. citizens and
noncitizens. We know that, at least within the United States, noncitizens are more likely to be
found in labor trafficking. We know, too, that women and girls may be especially likely to be
targets of certain forms of trafficking.

Experts tell us that many of the U.S. citizen victims of sex trafficking are teenagers. Up to
100,000 minors are being sexually trafficked in the United States each year, according to the
Polaris Project. Through threats or deceit, human traffickers force the most vulnerable members
of society into servitude to meet the demand for cheap labor and sex workers.

The good news is that we have made some progress in combating human trafficking since 1994,
when one of our hearing witnesses was being exploited as a 14-year old. Two decades ago, there
were no federal anti-trafficking laws on the books. I am pleased to have played a role in the
enactment, 15 years ago, of the federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act. I voted for the law
when it was first being debated by Congress in 2000, and I have worked with my colleagues on
several occasions since then to make sure it was extended.

In addition, today, every state has a law outlawing trafficking. Numerous states updated their
human trafficking laws in just the last year.

But much work remains to be done, particularly to protect our most vulnerable youths from
traffickers and to curb the demand for sex trafficking. According to the nonpartisan
Congressional Research Service, "experts widely agree that any efforts to reduce the prevalence
of child sex trafficking--as well as other forms of trafficking--should address not only the
supply, but also the demand." I hope that our witnesses can shed some light on this issue. I
also hope to hear from our witnesses about two bipartisan bills, S. 166 and S. 178, now pending
before this committee.

S. 178, which I have cosponsored, is known as the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. If
enacted, it would ensure that additional resources are available to survivors of both sex and labor
trafficking to aid in their recovery. S. 178 also would help fight demand for domestic sex
trafficking by ensuring that any person who is trafficking an adult or purchasing a child for sex
will be punished under the full force of the law. It has the endorsement of well over 100
organizations.

The other bill, S. 166, is the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act. This bill recognizes that
children trafficked for sex in the United States should not be regarded as child prostitutes. It
embraces the principle that there is no such thing as a "child prostitute," only children who are
victims of sexual violence and trafficking.

Everyone in this room is in agreement about the need to stop the horrendous crime of human
trafficking and the importance of supporting its victims in their efforts to heal. I look forward to
working with those of you here today on policy options that will help us put an end, once and for
all, to the suffering caused by human trafficking.

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