[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 18 (Friday, February 3, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E139]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        NATIONAL SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING PREVENTION MONTH

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                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, February 3, 2012

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, January marked National Slavery and 
Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
  As a former judge and prosecutor in Texas and as co-chair of the 
Congressional Victims' Rights Caucus this issue is significant to me.
  Many believe that slavery is an issue of the past, but sadly it is 
not.
  Throughout the world humans are forced into human trafficking, 
modern-day slavery, whether this is sex trafficking, labor trafficking, 
domestic servitude or some other form of slavery.
  This is not just a problem other countries face, but one that is 
alive in the United States.
  Houston, Texas, my hometown, is a hub for this awful crime.
  Fortunately, Houston and the state of Texas have taken the bull by 
the horns and are working hard to prosecute traffickers and protect 
victims.
  On the federal level, I am working with Members on both sides of the 
aisle to ensure traffickers are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the 
law and victims are treated as victims and given the support they need.
  And that's just the way it is.

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