[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 79 (Tuesday, May 15, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E656]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                           CHILDPROOF AMERICA

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 15, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, human trafficking is a plague on our 
city, town and nation. It is a menace to our society and must not be 
tolerated. Fortunately, we have outstanding organizations brave enough 
to bring awareness to this horrific crime.
  Childproof America is a non-profit located in Houston, Texas and 
founded by Kelly Litvak. Although Kelly has always had a heart for 
helping at-risk youth, her calling to found Childproof America was 
inspired by her family's own experience with human trafficking and the 
resulting impact it had on their lives.
  The Litvak's were what you would consider the stereotypical ``all-
American'' family. They lived in an upscale suburban community in 
Houston, Texas, with top ranked schools. In 2007, Kelly released a 
faith-based book titled, ``Tools 4 Teens'', which focused on teen 
issues to help them navigate through some of the most challenging times 
in life. The book was translated into a classroom curriculum in 2008, 
and the nonprofit Tools 4 Life was formed. Countless juvenile's lives 
were transformed through a partnership formed with Harris County 
Juvenile Probation. The stories of misguided youth were often a story 
at the dinner table for the Litvaks. But Mr. Speaker, no family is 
immune to human trafficking.
  Kelly's daughter, Courtney, was a popular student in Katy ISD. In 
2016, Courtney was approached by a fellow peer who was a well-known 
basketball player. But, Mr. Speaker, it wasn't an innocent high school 
friendship. The student lured Courtney into a local sex trafficking 
ring. When the Litvaks realized what had happened to their daughter, 
they quickly took action, ushering her out of the state for a few 
months, trying to protect their daughter from her traffickers. When she 
returned home to Texas, Courtney turned 18, and ran away from home. To 
this day, the Litvaks are unaware of where their daughter is. 
Unfortunately, stories like this are all too common.
  Childproof America promotes public awareness and educates the public 
on the realities of human trafficking. Offering a free online learning 
curriculum, Childproof America strives to educate and equip parents 
with the knowledge about the strategies traffickers use to exploit 
children. The Family Guides Program offers free services to the 
community, ranging from pinpointing online activity and locations, to 
intervention, extraction by law enforcement and survivor care. Regular 
community meetings are held to provide presentations about human 
trafficking to those willing to be advocates and start a conversation. 
Childproof America's passion, dedication, and support in educating 
folks about human trafficking makes our community a safer place.
  Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the 
world today. It is occurring in every city and state in the nation. 
Public awareness is extremely important. We must continue to work 
together to end human trafficking and provide aid to those that have 
been victimized by this scourge on humanity.
  And that's just the way it is.