Blake Moore: “I am proud to rise as an original cosponsor of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2017, and I urge my colleagues on…”

“I am proud to rise as an original cosponsor of the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act of 2017, and I urge my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to support this truly bipartisan piece of legislation. We have come a long way in this country in recognizing and acknowledging the problems of sex trafficking; and not just laying the blame at the seat of a so-called prostitute but understanding that this is a crime where the persons being trafficked, as you have heard my colleagues say, are imprisoned in sex trafficking. And why is it? You heard them talk about the $150 billion impact that this has. There is a huge incentive to sell these women over and over and over and over again. Because unlike drugs, you can resell these products of these victims again. Survivors of sex trafficking can't just walk away. They are in prison. They endure violent beatings, brainwashing, sexual assault, psychological control, and control of their purses and their identification. But then they find themselves arrested and convicted for prostitution, labeled as sex offenders, and then just revictimized by a system that doesn't understand that they were prisoners of this lucrative operation. These survivors face long-term negative consequences. They are denied access to employment, housing resources, and student financial aid that is needed to develop a sustainable safe and stable life.…”