[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 9 (Wednesday, January 15, 2014)]
[House]
[Page H239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   HUMAN TRAFFICKING AWARENESS MONTH

  (Mr. SWALWELL of California asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. SWALWELL of California. Madam Speaker, I rise to recognize 
January as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
  As unbelievable as it may sound, it is estimated that 20.9 million 
people were victims of some form of forced labor, including 
trafficking, in 2012. Most of these victims, sadly, were women and 
children. While we may believe or hope to believe that this is 
happening across oceans, it is actually occurring rampantly across the 
East Bay. I saw this firsthand when I worked for 7 years as a 
prosecutor in the Alameda County District Attorney's Office, mostly 
with victims who were, too often, young teenage girls.
  We cannot sit by as millions of people are exploited in this way--
denigrated, demeaned, and disparaged. It is in this month that we 
recommit ourselves to ending these horrors of slavery and human 
trafficking once and for all.
  My home county of Alameda, under the direction of District Attorney 
Nancy O'Malley, is doing its part. They run a coordinated effort called 
H.E.A.T. Watch to fight trafficking. In fact, District Attorney 
O'Malley recently announced a massive public relations campaign to draw 
attention to this issue and help victims. I have one of the posters, 
and I hope people will call (510) 645-9388 if they suspect trafficking 
is happening. With their hard work and that of people around the world, 
we can bring trafficking to an end.

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