[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 208 (Wednesday, December 20, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1734]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           HUMAN TRAFFICKING

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, December 20, 2017

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to raise awareness of an 
important issue facing our nation and community: the rise of human 
trafficking.
  The United States was founded on basic notions of human rights: that 
all people are born with an inalienable right to freedom, liberty and 
self-determination. Human trafficking is a crime against a person 
whereby through exploitation an individual is compelled to work or 
engage in a commercial sex act through force, fraud, or coercion, 
thereby being stripped of his/her fundamental human rights.
  Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which 
traffickers target vulnerable populations, including men, women, 
children, citizens and non-citizens, forcing them into servitude and/or 
the sex trade. Traffickers typically use multiple means to control 
their victims, including: beatings, rape, isolation, drug and/or 
alcohol dependency, document withholding, and psychological and 
emotional abuse.
  The International Labor Organization estimates that globally there 
are 20.9 million victims of trafficking. Nationally, the criminal 
enterprise of human trafficking is second only to the illegal drug 
trade, in terms of the speed of its growth and being among the most 
lucrative international crimes.
  Human trafficking has been reported in all 50 states and reported 
cases of trafficking increase each year, with 7,621 cases reported and 
26,727 calls made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in 2016. 
Sadly, the State of Florida consistently ranks third in the number of 
calls made to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. In 2016, Florida, 
with 550 cases reported, had the third highest number of human 
trafficking cases in the country.
  Human trafficking is a crime that impacts Pasco County, Florida. 
Through the Pasco County Commission on Human Trafficking, our local 
community unites to combat this modern-day slavery, bringing together 
nonprofits, government and non-government organizations, private sector 
businesses to aid in the prevention, prosecution, education and 
awareness efforts needed to restore freedom and dignity to survivors.
  Just last month, my responsibilities on the Energy and Commerce 
Subcommittee on Communications and Technology allowed me to question 
experts on the human trafficking crisis and the growing usage of the 
Internet to facilitate illegal activities as well as combatting 
criminals. At that hearing, my colleague even told a harrowing story of 
how his own daughter was nearly kidnapped while traveling overseas. I 
fully hope that these exchanges not only shed a light on human 
trafficking, but provide more ammunition for law enforcement to save 
people from their captivity.
  More awareness, education, and advocacy is needed, as it is crucial 
to eradicating human trafficking in our local communities, state, and 
nation. To this end, January is declared as National Slavery and Human 
Trafficking Prevention Month and January 11th is declared as National 
Human Trafficking Awareness Day. Every community and every individual 
is needed to fight human trafficking wherever it exists. Let us declare 
as one that slavery has no place in our world, and let us finally 
restore to all people the most basic rights of freedom, dignity, and 
justice.

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