[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 164 (Wednesday, November 16, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1492]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    SEX TRAFFICKERS SHOULD BE SHAMED

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, November 16, 2016

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, one hot summer day in Houston, a 
single mother (we will call her Amy) met a man. At the time, Amy was 
lonely and struggling to make a life for her young children. He was 
charming, funny and a talented member of the music industry. He told 
her he loved her and it made her feel valued and safe.
   This man promised her a better life, saying that with her help, the 
two of them would start a thriving record label together, but in order 
to do this they would need to move away for awhile. He said this would 
be good for her future and, more importantly, her children's future. 
She was vulnerable, financially hurting, looking for a better life, and 
she trusted him. The plan was to move away for three months, and so 
they went.
   Once they moved, the man immediately changed his tune. He isolated 
Amy from her family and friends and became hostile and abusive. It 
quickly became clear to Amy that that there was no record label. 
Instead, she had found herself in a dangerous situation. She spent her 
days trapped in a dark room where men would come in one by one. She was 
used and abused, treated like a prostitute. She was no prostitute. She 
was a victim of human trafficking being held against her will. The 
``appointments'' with men continued to increase. It became clear 
quickly to this mother that she was now a sex slave.
   One day, one of Amy's fellow captives being held by this man had a 
nervous breakdown to the point where she could no longer be physically 
controlled. She was a threat to his secretive business. The trafficker 
became distracted, and Amy was able to escape back to Houston. Her 
family picked her up and she returned home, but she was not the same 
woman that left months before. Her life was forever changed.
   Amy was one of the lucky ones who got away, but her story of 
captivity is all too common in America. Traffickers prey every day on 
vulnerable women, from the insecure teenager at the mall to mothers 
like Amy looking for a better life for their children. This modern-day 
slavery happens right here in Texas in plain sight at our motels, 
cantinas and massage parlors. The victims live among us in our 
communities, but behind closed doors, they are slaves living in fear. 
They totally lose their identity. Meanwhile, their slave traders are 
able to keep their lives, committing this horrendous crime anonymously 
and continuously. Buyers and sellers of humans want to remain anonymous 
because they can. Those days need to end.
   As a former criminal court judge in Texas, I successfully used 
public punishment for two purposes. First, I wanted to make sure 
defendants did not end up back in my courtroom. Second, I wanted to 
instill fear in would-be criminals to deter them from committing crimes 
in the first place.
   I believe this form of public shaming can be successful in 
combatting human trafficking. That is why I have introduced The SHAME 
Act in Congress. This legislation will give federal judges the ability 
to publish both the names and the photographs of both convicted human 
traffickers and buyers of trafficked victims.
   The second part of that is important--in order to effectively combat 
trafficking, we must go after the customers. The bill is designed to 
allow the public to easily access the pictures and information of those 
living among them in society who have purchased sex from victims. That 
way the buyers will no longer be able to hide in plain sight under the 
cloak of anonymity.
   Furthermore, I hope the SHAME Act strikes fear in those who think 
about purchasing young women for sex. Perhaps the fear of having their 
face on a billboard will make them think twice about participating in 
the modern day slave trade.
   Traffickers and sex abusers run a global business second only to the 
slave trade. Like any business, this trade is successful because of its 
customers and the continuous demand they provide. It is time to SHAME 
these horrible humans out of the business.
   Our children are not for sale.

                          ____________________