Political Quotes

“Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act. Safe harbor legislation is the first step in ensuring that children who are forced into the sex trade are treated as victims and not as criminals. First, as the lead authors of this bill, I would like to recognize my colleagues, Representatives Paulsen and Moore, for their commitment to preventing the exploitation of children. In 2012, in my town of Los Angeles, 170 girls were arrested and detained by probation and were later identified as trafficking victims. The average age of trafficked victims was 12 years old. At such a young age, these girls have survived immense trauma that no child should ever experience. In most cities, a large number of the girls are connected to the foster care system. We are supposed to be protecting these children. These are children we have removed from their homes, but far too often, instead of protecting these girls and finding them the right social services in order to get off the streets, our society continues to arrest them. They should never be charged with a crime, since many are minors and cannot legally consent to sex. As has been said, the word ``prostitute'' should never be used. They are not criminals; they are victims. Unfortunately, many of their troubles continue as they enter a juvenile justice system that often treats them as offenders and does not provide them with the resources they need in order to rebuild their lives.…”