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December 14, 2005
Measure Championed by Pryce to Fight Domestic Sex Trafficking Passes U.S. House
Bipartisan Bill will Give U.S. and Global Community Better Tools to Combat Modern Day Slavery
Washington , D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 972, legislation reauthorizing appropriations for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, by a vote of 424-0. The bill includes language authored by Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington) to end the demand for domestic sex trafficking, and give the U.S. better tools to fight trafficking in our communities.
"I am elated to see we are one step closer to maximizing the federal commitment to ending this modern day form of slavery," said Pryce. "Each day, hundreds of thousands of women and children around the world face incomprehensible degradation and dangers posed by human trafficking. Our goal should be to extricate each of them from this horrific existence, and punish those who peddle in human trafficking to the fullest extent possible.”
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act was first enacted in 2000 to create a framework for combating trafficking in persons. The law was reauthorized in 2003, and HR 972 reauthorizes it once again. While HR 972 places a strong focus on the scourge of global trafficking, Pryce's piece complements and strengthens HR 972 by broadening current law to address sex trafficking not only abroad, but in the United States.
"HR 972 utilizes our nation's arsenal of diplomatic powers to curb international sex trafficking by bearing pressures on nations which actively or tacitly engage in it. But equally important, the bill now focuses our nation's attention internally, by seriously confronting the trafficking that goes on within our own borders and communities," said Pryce. "Our ability to combat the problem as it occurs in other countries has limits, but our commitment to eradicating it within our own borders should have none."
Pryce was joined by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to make this bipartisan effort a success. Upon passage of HR 972, Maloney said, "This new approach to combating sex trafficking will crack down on the users -- the johns and pimps who keep the demand for sex slavery high. Most Americans aren't aware of the tragedy of sex trafficking and would be shocked to know that it happens even right here in our own backyards. I'm proud that the federal government is taking action. I am also proud to have worked with my good friend Deborah Pryce on this, and I thank her for her leadership."
Each year, an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 human beings are bought, sold or forced across the world's borders. The U.S. government estimates that 18,000 to 20,000 people are trafficked annually into the U.S., but without a thorough statistical analysis, the problem could be significantly more prevalent. The U.S. is primarily a destination country - meaning that people from other countries are trafficked into the U.S. Tragically, included among those trafficked are far too many teenage girls who become prisoners to the sex trade.
One of the most high profile cases of domestic sex trafficking involves two New Jersey women who were sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison, the maximum allowed under the law, for bringing four Mexican girls into the U.S. and forcing them into prostitution in Plainfield, New Jersey. The women lured the girls (some as young as 14) from their homes in Mexico with promises of work, marriage, and a better life in America. Instead, they confined the girls to the Plainfield brothel where they forced them to engage in repeated sex acts. The defendants strengthened their hold on the victims through isolation, beatings, threats and psychological coercion. The girls were held captive at the brothel until local authorities raided the building and rescued them.
Both HR 2012 and HR 972 have received a great deal of attention, most recently on the Oprah Winfrey Show and through the Lifetime Network's movie, "Human Trafficking." Despite the recent publicity, however, most Americans are unaware of the magnitude of the problem within their own neighborhoods and communities.
Pryce's provisions will:
Promote more effective means of combating unlawful commercial sex activities by targeting demand.
Provide grants to establish and expand assistance programs for victims of sex trafficking.
Authorize a pilot program to provide shelter, counseling, and assistance in developing individual living skills for youth victims of sex trafficking in the U.S.
Assist State and local law enforcement agencies to initiate programs to investigate and prosecute sex trafficking cases; educate those charged with purchasing or attempting to purchase commercial sex acts; and train law enforcement personnel.
Conduct a Biennial Statistical Review to provide a more accurate picture of the problem.
Convene an Annual Report and Conference on best practices about reducing demand for unlawful commercial sex acts.
The next step will be for the Senate to consider HR 972.
Over the last year, Pryce has taken a broad approach to fighting human trafficking. In March, she led a fact-finding mission to Albania, Moldova, Greece, and Italy to address sex trafficking of women and children abroad and exchange ideas about how better to prevent sex trafficking, protect victims of sex trafficking, and prosecute those who traffic, exploit and purchase women and children. She met with government leaders, non-governmental organizations, and victims of the sex trade. Information about her visit can be found at www.house.gov/pryce/codel.htm .
Additionally, as Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, she has held two hearings on human trafficking and is investigating the financial implications of the sex trade. Information about the hearings can be found at financialservices.house.gov/index.asp.
www.house.gov/pryce/press...fficking.htm
Measure Championed by Pryce to Fight Domestic Sex Trafficking Passes U.S. House
Bipartisan Bill will Give U.S. and Global Community Better Tools to Combat Modern Day Slavery
Washington , D.C. — Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed HR 972, legislation reauthorizing appropriations for the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, by a vote of 424-0. The bill includes language authored by Congresswoman Deborah Pryce (R-Upper Arlington) to end the demand for domestic sex trafficking, and give the U.S. better tools to fight trafficking in our communities.
"I am elated to see we are one step closer to maximizing the federal commitment to ending this modern day form of slavery," said Pryce. "Each day, hundreds of thousands of women and children around the world face incomprehensible degradation and dangers posed by human trafficking. Our goal should be to extricate each of them from this horrific existence, and punish those who peddle in human trafficking to the fullest extent possible.”
The Trafficking Victims Protection Act was first enacted in 2000 to create a framework for combating trafficking in persons. The law was reauthorized in 2003, and HR 972 reauthorizes it once again. While HR 972 places a strong focus on the scourge of global trafficking, Pryce's piece complements and strengthens HR 972 by broadening current law to address sex trafficking not only abroad, but in the United States.
"HR 972 utilizes our nation's arsenal of diplomatic powers to curb international sex trafficking by bearing pressures on nations which actively or tacitly engage in it. But equally important, the bill now focuses our nation's attention internally, by seriously confronting the trafficking that goes on within our own borders and communities," said Pryce. "Our ability to combat the problem as it occurs in other countries has limits, but our commitment to eradicating it within our own borders should have none."
Pryce was joined by Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) to make this bipartisan effort a success. Upon passage of HR 972, Maloney said, "This new approach to combating sex trafficking will crack down on the users -- the johns and pimps who keep the demand for sex slavery high. Most Americans aren't aware of the tragedy of sex trafficking and would be shocked to know that it happens even right here in our own backyards. I'm proud that the federal government is taking action. I am also proud to have worked with my good friend Deborah Pryce on this, and I thank her for her leadership."
Each year, an estimated 800,000 to 900,000 human beings are bought, sold or forced across the world's borders. The U.S. government estimates that 18,000 to 20,000 people are trafficked annually into the U.S., but without a thorough statistical analysis, the problem could be significantly more prevalent. The U.S. is primarily a destination country - meaning that people from other countries are trafficked into the U.S. Tragically, included among those trafficked are far too many teenage girls who become prisoners to the sex trade.
One of the most high profile cases of domestic sex trafficking involves two New Jersey women who were sentenced to 17 1/2 years in prison, the maximum allowed under the law, for bringing four Mexican girls into the U.S. and forcing them into prostitution in Plainfield, New Jersey. The women lured the girls (some as young as 14) from their homes in Mexico with promises of work, marriage, and a better life in America. Instead, they confined the girls to the Plainfield brothel where they forced them to engage in repeated sex acts. The defendants strengthened their hold on the victims through isolation, beatings, threats and psychological coercion. The girls were held captive at the brothel until local authorities raided the building and rescued them.
Both HR 2012 and HR 972 have received a great deal of attention, most recently on the Oprah Winfrey Show and through the Lifetime Network's movie, "Human Trafficking." Despite the recent publicity, however, most Americans are unaware of the magnitude of the problem within their own neighborhoods and communities.
Pryce's provisions will:
Promote more effective means of combating unlawful commercial sex activities by targeting demand.
Provide grants to establish and expand assistance programs for victims of sex trafficking.
Authorize a pilot program to provide shelter, counseling, and assistance in developing individual living skills for youth victims of sex trafficking in the U.S.
Assist State and local law enforcement agencies to initiate programs to investigate and prosecute sex trafficking cases; educate those charged with purchasing or attempting to purchase commercial sex acts; and train law enforcement personnel.
Conduct a Biennial Statistical Review to provide a more accurate picture of the problem.
Convene an Annual Report and Conference on best practices about reducing demand for unlawful commercial sex acts.
The next step will be for the Senate to consider HR 972.
Over the last year, Pryce has taken a broad approach to fighting human trafficking. In March, she led a fact-finding mission to Albania, Moldova, Greece, and Italy to address sex trafficking of women and children abroad and exchange ideas about how better to prevent sex trafficking, protect victims of sex trafficking, and prosecute those who traffic, exploit and purchase women and children. She met with government leaders, non-governmental organizations, and victims of the sex trade. Information about her visit can be found at www.house.gov/pryce/codel.htm .
Additionally, as Chairman of the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic and International Monetary Policy, she has held two hearings on human trafficking and is investigating the financial implications of the sex trade. Information about the hearings can be found at financialservices.house.gov/index.asp.
www.house.gov/pryce/press...fficking.htm
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