Ann Wagner: “I thank the gentleman from Virginia, Chairman Goodlatte, for his wonderful leadership on this issue and so many others.…”

“I thank the gentleman from Virginia, Chairman Goodlatte, for his wonderful leadership on this issue and so many others. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of my bill, H.R. 4225, the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation, SAVE, Act. But, Madam Speaker, I also rise today in support of all the good work done by my colleagues here in Congress on the issue of human trafficking. Madam Speaker, as a former United States Ambassador, I was exposed firsthand to the horrors of human trafficking on an international level. I reported on the devastating consequences of human trafficking, where innocent women and children were dragged into the dark abyss of sex slavery. But never in my darkest moments did I ever think that human trafficking was so rampant right here in the United States of America. Madam Speaker, the faces behind me are photographs of actual victims of sex trafficking. These young women and children were forced into sexual slavery by ruthless traffickers. Madam Speaker, right now there are young women being forced into prostitution in virtually every district across the Nation. In fact, I was shocked to learn that my own hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, has been identified as one of the top 20 areas for sex trafficking in the United States. Madam Speaker, this problem is hiding, hiding in plain sight. However, there is hope.…”