[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 61 (Wednesday, April 20, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E556]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 YASMIN VAFA, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, RIGHTS4GIRLS--LOIS HAIGHT AWARD FOR 
                       EXCELLENCE AND INNOVATION

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, April 20, 2016

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, the bi-partisan Congressional Victims' 
Rights Caucus (VRC) is a proven and effective leader in advocating for 
crime victims. Jim Costa (D-CA) and I founded the VRC 10 years ago when 
we were first elected to Congress. During its 10-year existence, the 
VRC has taken the lead in protecting programs that provide critical 
support for victim services throughout the nation, including the 
Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), and the 
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). Each year 
the members of the caucus join together to honor outstanding 
individuals who have given their time and service to helping victims. 
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Caucus.
  The Lois Haight Award for Excellence and Innovation pays tribute to 
California Judge Lois Haight. She was the Chair of President Ronald 
Reagan's 1982 President's Task Force on Victims of Crime. Judge Haight 
led pioneering efforts on behalf of crime victims that resulted in 
significant public policy advances to promote crime victims' rights and 
services. The honoree who receives this award is a professional whose 
efforts have had a significant impact on local, state, national or 
international public policy development and implementation that promote 
dignity, respect, rights and services for victims of crime.
  Yasmin Vafa embodies the vision, drive and accomplishment of Judge 
Haight. She is the co-founder and Executive Director of Rights4Girls, a 
human rights organization focused on gender-based violence against 
young women and girls in the U.S. As the award recipient that my office 
nominated I am proud to recognize her significant contributions in 
advocating for Victims' Rights. She is a fearless fighter against 
injustice, educating not only my office, but offices across the Capitol 
about the scourge of human trafficking--especially on the unique needs 
of domestic victims and the need to prosecute buyers.
  The voice of survivors like ``T'' Ortiz Walker Pettigrew that Yasmin 
and Rights for Girls brings to the Hill changes the conversation on 
human trafficking. Yasmin knows and works with these survivors both in 
DC and around the country through advocacy, trainings, and survivor 
retreats, and won't stop until victims are treated as victims and we 
put all the bad guys where they belong.
  Yasmin's principled passion, activism and persistence have been 
critical in the passage of a number of bills to fight human trafficking 
and protect vulnerable women and girls. One bill especially close to my 
heart, which would not have crossed the finish line without her help is 
the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act. Yasmin helped conceive, 
advocate and fight for the bill through ups and downs until the right 
thing was done and the bill became law. In addition to the incredible 
accomplishments she's had for victims of crime on Capitol Hill, she has 
also designed and implemented a national judicial institute on child 
trafficking, co-authored a seminal report mapping girls' unique 
pathways into the juvenile justice system: The Sexual Abuse to Prison 
Pipeline: The Girls' Story.
  She also currently serves as a faculty adjunct educator and 
consultant for the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court 
Judges, served on the Advisory Board for the Office of Juvenile Justice 
and Delinquency Prevention's National Girls Initiative, and was as a 
member of the Department of Justice's National Task Force on the Use of 
Restraints with Pregnant Women and Girls under Correctional Custody. 
Yasmin is so deserving of the Lois Haight Award for Excellence and 
Innovation Award, we are grateful for her persistence and passion.
  And that is just the way it is.

                          ____________________