Press Releases

The House of Representatives today debated bipartisan legislation to strengthen support for victims of youth sex trafficking. The proposals would enhance existing aid for runaway and homeless youth and improve identification and assessment of child sex trafficking victims. House Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman John Kline (R-MN) discussed the urgent need to assist victims of youth sex trafficking: 

 

Each year an estimated 300,000 innocent children fall victim to sex trafficking right here in the United States. The victims can be homeless or runaway youth; others are simply taken from their parents in the blink of an eye. The victims’ families are our neighbors, friends, and loved ones.

As a father of two and grandfather of four, for me it is impossible to fathom the pain and suffering they must feel, knowing their son or daughter is trapped in a modern-day slave trade filled with darkness and hopelessness. While we will never fully comprehend the grief these families are forced to bear, we can as a nation fight this heinous crime with every tool available.

To read Chairman Kline’s full remarks, click here.

To learn more about bipartisan efforts to strengthen support for victims of youth sex trafficking, click here.

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