[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 11 (Friday, January 19, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H762-H763]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         AMSTERDAM PROSTITUTION

  (Mr. PITTS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. PITTS. Mr. Speaker, the coarsening of culture doesn't happen 
overnight. It is a slow, steady process that chips away at our moral 
compass; but every now and then something comes along that puts things 
in perspective and shows us how far the slide has gone.
  I read recently that city officials in Amsterdam have approved 
putting up a

[[Page H763]]

statue of a prostitute as a tribute to prostitutes worldwide. Sadly, 
this strikes me as one of those times when we are able to step back and 
see just how far we have regressed. The last thing the world's 
prostitutes need is a statue commemorating the sex industry. The sex 
industry in places like Amsterdam and countless other cities worldwide 
is not something to be celebrated. It is a tragedy marked by forced 
sexual servitude, demeaning human exploitation, and unspeakable 
brokenness.
  Each year, countless numbers of girls are kidnapped and forced into 
sexual slavery. They lose not only their basic human dignity; many will 
lose their lives.
  Mr. Speaker, these people don't need a statue. We need to help them 
get out of this exploitative lifestyle.

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