Political Quotes

“I thank Chairman Smith so much for his leadership on this issue which is so important to both of us. It is near and dear to our hearts. I want to express my gratitude and just say how grateful I am to have worked with him and Chairman Sensenbrenner on the coordination of these efforts to bring this most important issue to the floor. When I first learned about trafficking in human beings, I could not believe that slavery or the slave trade still existed. I remember asking, what do you mean women and children and young boys are being bought and sold? This is the 21st century; how can this be happening? And the answers that I got were very grim. I found out from John Miller, the very esteemed Ambassador at the State Department's Trafficking in Persons Office, that as many as 800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders every year, including the borders of the United States of America. The trafficking of people is a $9 billion industry. It has recently tied illegal arms dealing as the second fastest growing criminal activity in the world. The legislation before us today will increase our Nation's ability to bring diplomatic pressure to bear on countries who actively or tacitly engage in this heinous practice. More than that, however, this legislation reflects our Nation's commitment to abolishing the unlawful sexual exploitation of women and children and boys occurring within our own borders.…”