Date: 2010-12-21
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Madam Speaker. I rise today in strong support of S. 2925. the "Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2010." This bill calls for funds awarded under the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program to be used to provide education. training. deterrence. and prevention programs relating to sex trafficking of minors. It also calls for states to treat minor victims of sex trafficking as crime victims rather than as criminal defendants or juvenile delinquents. States should adopt and amend laws that protect minors who are victims of sex trafficking. and make such minors eligible for compensation. Furthermore. S. 2925 calls for consistent law enforcement to be used to deter demands for commercial sex with sex trafficking victims. The issues associated with the exploitation of children here in the U.S.. and all over. are ones that I am very passionate about. The fact that children are recruited. harbored. transported. provided. or obtained for the purpose of a commercial sex act is appalling and I believe we should thrust our efforts behind meaningful policies and laws. such as the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act. that will put an end to such acts. During the Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference. which took place this past September at the Washington Convention Center. I held an issue forum to bring attention to issues plaguing our Nations childrenmissing children who are exploited in the commercial sex trade. In this forum. we brought together a number of professionals and experts to bring light to this issue and. more importantly. determine best practices for deterring such behavior in order to put an end to these horrid practices. Many of the methods and practices highlighted in that forum are present in S. 2925. yet another reason why I so fervently support this bill. Hearing the statistics about the exploitation of children will make you cringe. as they are especially disturbing. Nationally. 450.000 children run away from home each year. One out of every three teens on the street will be lured toward prostitution within 48 hours of leaving home. Statistically. this means at least 150.000 children are lured into prostitution each year. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) data shows 100.000 to 293.000 children have become sexual commodities. Twelve is the average age of entry into pornography and prostitution in the U.S. This is a universal problemthese children can come from any race. ethnic group. or religious background. and all socioeconomic classes. The common denominator amongst these children is their vulnerability. Many of these children have been emotionally bruised as a result of abusesexual assault and/or familial molestation. Many children vulnerable to domestic minor sex trafficking are homeless. runaways. throwaways. and youth who have ended up in the foster care system and child protective services. Of the 2.8 million children living on the streets. which alone is an appalling statistic. over a third of them are lured into prostitution as a way to support themselves financially. Others are recruited through forced abduction or deceptive agreements between parents and traffickers. These children are often shipped off to different locations and isolated from family and peers. left to rely on a system of pimpcontrolled sexual exploitationescort and massage services. private dancing. pornographic clubs. just to name a few. The fact that we live in a virtual world now has had a major impact on how domestic minor commercial sex trafficking takes place. The Internet has completely changed the dynamics of prostitution and trafficking. making it easier for prostitutes and traffickers to connect with clients without too many layers of intermediaries. As a result. the Internet has become an intermediary. often without the knowledge of those Internet service providers (ISPs) who are the conduits. Increasingly. certain Web sites and online marketplaces have been bearing the brunt of much criticism for providing a medium for online minor sex trafficking. The Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act allows us to take the necessary actions to combat this new techsavvy generation of prostitution and minor sex trafficking. As a senior member of the House Judiciary Committee. I have had the opportunity to examine how children are trafficked in the U.S.. including the role that the Internet plays. and the challenges that these cases pose to law enforcement. It is my hope that the passage of S. 2925 will make way for implementation of prevention methods that will help law enforcement place an effective road block on this horrendous practice. Furthermore. the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act addresses the unique needs of those who have been victimized by sex trafficking. As mentioned before. many of the children who end up as victims of this practice enter into the world of minor sex trafficking with scars. and leave with even more. They come from broken homes. are victims of abuse. assault. and may suffer from emotional problems. Passage of S. 2925 will provide support for victims of minor sex trafficking and help to rehabilitate survivors so that they may reenter society successfully. Again. I would like to reirecate. my strong support for S. 2925. the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act. for it is an important first step in addressing a problem that plagues our nation and the world. I yield back the balance of my time.