[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 172 (Thursday, November 2, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2094-E2095]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            TRIBUTE TO SUPERIOR COURT JUDGE LEONARD D. RONCO

                                 ______


                        HON. WILLIAM J. MARTINI

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 1, 1995

  Mr. MARTINI. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Superior Court Judge 
Leonard D. Ronco. Judge Ronco has been a public servant since 1956 and 
will retire from the State bench on his 70th birthday, November 3, 
1995.
  Judge Ronco is a distinguished leader in Essex County, NJ, whose 
prudent rulings clearly reverberated and effected the larger community. 
The president-elect of the New Jersey State's Association of Criminal 
Defense Lawyers, Cathy Waldor, credited him with being, ``One of the 
finest, if not the finest judge in the State.''
  This week, the Superior Court of New Jersey is indisputably loosing a 
leader respected by the people and the community as a whole. Further, 
he is a leader worthy of emulation, respected by his colleagues and 
admired by young aspiring lawyers and judges throughout the State.
  Judge Ronco brought to the bench a unique perspective. As both a 
prosecutor and a defense attorney he was aware of all the nuances of 
the courtroom and the tactics employed by both sides. This awareness 
enabled him to holistically understand all arguments brought before 
him. Such a perspective and complete understanding could only further 
the pursuit of justice.
  It is my hope that his leadership role in the community and the legal 
profession will not diminish with his retirement. The community can 
only gain because now he will have the opportunity to pursue a Golconda 
of leadership goals in Essex County.
  His retirement should open up new roads that will challenge and 
beacon him. Roads that will once again enable him to effect the larger 
community albeit in a different capacity.
  Mr. Speaker, I know you will join me in wishing Judge Leonard Ronco 
the best of luck on the journey before him.

[[Page E 2095]]


    MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN; THE TRAGEDY OF CHILDREN AT RISK

                                 ______


                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 1, 1995

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, every day hundreds of 
abductions of innocent boys and girls are attempted. A study by the 
U.S. Justice Department reported that each year there are as many as 
114,600 attempted abductions of children by non-family members. There 
are 4,600 reported abductions by non-family members. Even more 
horrifying is that 354,000 abductions are by family members. In 
addition, the Department of Justice also reported that 450,700 children 
ran away and 127,100 children are thrown away each year.
  While these numbers are staggering and frightening they are also easy 
to hide behind, Mr. Speaker, because we do not often put a name or a 
face to this tragedy. Recently our colleague from Florida, Mr. Deutsch, 
has enabled all of us to see the human face of this issue. In many of 
our offices the notice about Jimmy Ryce, missing since he was abducted 
while walking home from school on September 11, have been hanging--a 
silent but powerful reminder of how vulnerable our children are.
  Each Member of this House should be concerned about Jimmy Ryce 
because each day, in each of our districts, there are others like Jimmy 
who are walking home from school, playing in parks and recreation 
centers, at sporting and social events, at great risk of being 
kidnapped--taken from their homes and families.
  An abduction of a child is just the beginning of unspeakable horrors 
that he or she might have to endure. It is often the preamble to a life 
of slavery and fear which may include physical and emotional abuse, 
forced prostitution, pornography, labor, and drug use.
  Earlier this week, I hosted a briefing on the trafficking of children 
for prostitution and pornography in the United States. At this briefing 
we heard from activists who have dedicated themselves to intervention 
programs which attempt to locate children who are missing and are now 
caught in a cycle from which they cannot escape on their own. These 
people talked of the horrors that are inflicted on these children--they 
are raped and beaten and threatened with death, they become dependent 
on their pimps for every aspect of their existence. Treated as chattel, 
many of them are branded or tattooed to ensure that others know who 
``owns'' them. Many of these children are exposed to sexually 
transmitted diseases, tuberculosis, AIDS, and other illnesses. They are 
denied adequate medical treatment and many of them die of these 
illnesses.
  The number of children who are forced into this modern-day form of 
slavery is increasing, it is also a tragic fact that the age of these 
children is decreasing. We are able to document children as young as 4 
years old who are victims of this abuse. Tragically, many of the 
children who are being abused in this way have been reported missing or 
kidnapped.
  Sadly, Mr. Speaker, there are few individuals and even fewer 
organizations which actively work at documenting these missing and 
kidnapped children, locating them and assisting them in breaking the 
cycle of abuse and providing for them safe places where they can grow 
and develop. Organizations such as the National Center for Missing and 
Exploited Children, H.I.P.S., the Paul and Lisa Program and Children of 
the Night offer some spark of hope for children who have been abducted. 
While they provide assistance to a few hundred children each year, the 
large numbers of children affected by this abuse is overwhelming.
  More needs to be done. We must have greater concern for our children. 
They must not have to live in fear that they will be abducted and 
removed from all that they know and love, forced into a lives of 
virtual slavery. We owe a word of gratitude to those who have dedicated 
their lives to assisting the missing and exploited children of our 
Nation. But we must also pledge to our children and especially to Jimmy 
Ryce and the thousands of others who are missing and kidnapped that we 
will do all we can to find them, protect them and return them to their 
childhoods and the promise that the future should hold for them.

                          ____________________