Janice Hahn: “Far too many of our young girls have fallen victim to modern day slavery. Last fall, I witnessed human trafficking…”

“Far too many of our young girls have fallen victim to modern day slavery. Last fall, I witnessed human trafficking firsthand during a visit to Costa Rica with my colleague from Texas, Ted Poe. The stories we heard were heartwrenching. Girls--8, 9, 10, 13 years old--were being victimized and abused by grown men. This is not just a problem outside our borders. This is happening in our backyards. In my community in Los Angeles, African American girls are overwhelmingly at a greater risk, making up 92 percent of youth sex trafficking victims. This is alarming and shameful. On the average, victims are recruited between the ages of 12 and 14. These girls are victims, not criminals, and we must do everything in our power to protect them. Recently, we have seen a paradigm shift in the protection of these victims. L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey has implemented the First Step diversion program, which will give victims the opportunity to rebuild their lives through counseling and education, an alternative to prosecution. Programs like this and my colleague Karen Bass' legislation that is on the floor today will help protect victims of human trafficking and not punish them. ____________________”