Ted Poe: “For years, Lynda could not bring herself to speak about her past turmoil and nightmares. Lynda is finally telling about…”

“For years, Lynda could not bring herself to speak about her past turmoil and nightmares. Lynda is finally telling about her tortured life. When she was 16, two neighborhood boys drugged and sexually assaulted her. Highly drugged, the boys convinced her to have sex for money just once. But it wasn't for just one time, Mr. Speaker. They set up online advertisements to sell her and other girls. When one of the other girls tried to escape, they tied her to a chair and beat her up mercilessly. They mixed drugs into the food to maintain control over the girls. It was years before Lynda finally escaped her turmoil. Today, the rape and torture still haunts Lynda, but she works every day to become a survivor. I recently introduced the Abolish Human Trafficking Act that provides grants to ensure that victims like Lynda get help and services, such as mental health counseling, legal aid, job training, things that they deserve from us. This will help trafficking victims put their broken lives back together. Trafficking is a scourge, and we need to send a message to everyone that our kids are not for sale. And that is just the way it is. ____________________”