[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 32 (Wednesday, March 6, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E248-E249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN REAUTHORIZATION ACT OF 2013

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                          HON. EDWARD R. ROYCE

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, February 28, 2013

  Mr. ROYCE. Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the Violence Against 
Women Reauthorization Act. This is important legislation to help 
protect women and families from domestic violence. I have long 
championed the rights of crime victims, especially women. So I am glad 
we are passing this legislation today, and that it will soon become 
law. This will ensure we continue our efforts to address the issue of 
violence against women from a variety of angles, including prevention, 
intervention, and prosecution.
  Today I want to address specific aspects of Title XII of this Act, 
entitled ``Trafficking Victims Protection.''
  Human trafficking is an egregious offense against human dignity that 
oppresses tens of millions of people around the world, and 
disproportionately victimizes women and girls. But even those jarring 
statistics can obscure the depressing reality: the harm of trafficking 
is probably most clearly seen in the eyes of a girl who is being robbed 
of her freedom, her youth, and her hope for the unjust benefit of 
someone else.
  As Chairman of the Committee of primary jurisdiction for the original 
Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA) and the three 
subsequent reauthorization statutes, I am proud of the strong, 
bipartisan role that the Foreign Affairs Committee and the Congress 
have played in the global fight against modern-day slavery over the 
past 13 years.
  Title XII of the bill before us today extends and amends those anti-
trafficking authorities with language that was not considered under 
regular order by House committees. I rise to register my concern with 
certain sections that normally would fall within Foreign Affairs 
jurisdiction, because I do not want that language to harm the important 
work already being done by the Department of State, and particularly 
its Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, known as the 
``TIP Office.''
  While our limited resources must be put to their best uses, I don't 
understand why the Senate has slashed funding for the TIP Office, in 
contrast to the funding increases elsewhere in Title XII. That is a 
mistake. I just hope it is not a mistake that is fatal to the integrity 
and vitality of anti-trafficking efforts at the Department of State. 
Within State, the TIP Office has been the Congressionally-authorized 
anchor that has kept trafficking advocacy and the annual tier rankings 
from being subordinated to the usual pressures of bilateral diplomacy. 
That is, the frequent temptation for the State Department to compromise 
our human trafficking concerns for interests perceived, and often 
misperceived, as being more important than pressing another country on 
this crime against humanity. This bill weakens the hand of the TIP 
Office.
  Section 1201 of the bill directs the regional bureaus at the State 
Department to develop annual, country-specific anti-trafficking goals 
and objectives in cooperation with the TIP Office. With its deep 
expertise in implementing and assessing interventions to combat modern

[[Page E249]]

slavery, the TIP Office has the lead role on such issues within the 
Department, and should maintain that lead. Section 1201 should not 
provide the basis for a mechanism that is independent from the work of 
the TIP Office, or from the recommendations set forth in the annual 
Trafficking in Persons Report. Rather, it should be used to increase 
regional bureau support for those priorities at the country level.
  Furthermore, the host government consultations contemplated by 
section 1201 should focus on implementation of Department-set goals and 
objectives, rather than become a bilateral negotiation on their initial 
formulation in a way that might subvert the purpose of section 110 of 
the original TVPA, which mandates actions against governments that fail 
to meet minimum standards.
  Section 1204(5) of the bill would change the TVPA ``minimum standards 
for the elimination of trafficking'' to include consideration of 
whether a foreign government has entered into effective partnerships or 
agreements with other governments, civil society or nongovernmental 
groups, or others, ``that have resulted in concrete and measurable 
outcomes.'' I regret that the bill is vague about what those outcomes 
must be. The numbers of traffickers prosecuted and convicted, and the 
number of trafficking survivors assisted, should be indispensible 
components of any concrete, measurable outcomes for purposes of this 
section. At least the language is clear that such outcomes must already 
have occurred in order to qualify. This section must not be used to 
allow a government to avoid a Tier 3 designation by signing a new 
agreement or MOU promising prospective progress, even if that new 
agreement is with the U.S. Government. Foreign government promises to 
take action just don't count.
  I appreciate the considerable anti-trafficking work of the TIP Office 
at the Department of State over the past dozen years, under both 
Republican and Democrat administrations. During that time, the 
leadership of the United States has helped to fuel the passage of more 
than 130 anti-trafficking laws around the world, though much work 
remains to be done. I hope that the elements of Title XII that I have 
discussed will not undercut those efforts. The Foreign Affairs 
Committee will be working to assure that.

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