Ted Poe: “This coming Monday, May 29, marks the 2-year anniversary of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, called the JVTA.…”

“This coming Monday, May 29, marks the 2-year anniversary of the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, called the JVTA. Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives and the Senate worked together in a bipartisan manner to write this comprehensive, massive law to fight human trafficking. Basically, we said in this legislation that modern-day slavery will not be tolerated in the United States, and that message was made loud and clear when the law was signed 2 years ago. Since that time, there have been wonderful successes by providing victims with help and services that they need to recover, and by capturing and charging both the traffickers and the buyers according to our law. Debbie's Story Mr. Speaker, Debbie grew up in an idyllic American neighborhood. The middle child of a close-knit military family living in the suburbs, Debbie could have never imagined that she would be forced into sex slavery. One cool Phoenix night, Debbie's mother thought nothing of letting her young daughter meet a friend in their front yard one night to play. Busy with dishes and other children inside, her mother didn't realize that her young daughter, clad in her cartoon pajamas, was being abducted by two men in front of their house. These deviants threw Debbie in the car, drugged and gang raped her. They held a loaded gun to her forehead and threatened to pull the trigger if she ever tried to escape. For 60 days she was forced to have sex with countless men.…”