Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of the National Human Trafficking Hotline. I also want to join with my colleagues in wishing well Judge Poe, and wishing him a speedy recovery. He has been a leader on this issue for many, many years, and the hotline is a critical feature of how we can address human trafficking in our country. I also support the resources being managed under Health and Human Services. I believe it reflects the current awareness and knowledge that this really shouldn't be managed by law enforcement. We have all heard the stories of women and children who have been taken from location to location and forced to have sex against their will. Currently, there are more cases of human trafficking reported in California than in any other State. This hotline has served as a lifeline/vital resource to human trafficking victims and their advocates. In California alone this year, there have been over 3,000 calls received on the hotline, resulting in over 1,000 human trafficking cases being reported, nearly a third of which are minors. Unfortunately, there is a growing body of evidence that youth who fall through the cracks in the foster care system end up trafficked. As of 2012 in California, 50 to 80 percent of the commercially exploited children had been involved in the child welfare system. Fifty-eight percent of sexually trafficked girls in the Los Angeles County STAR Court in 2012 were under age and were connected to the foster care system.…”