[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 94 (Thursday, June 7, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E791-E792]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               2018 HUMAN TRAFFICKING RESEARCH CONFERENCE

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2018

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, when the Portuguese explorer Ferdinand 
Magellan sailed westward past South America, he was struck by the 
serenity of the waters that lay before him. He then proclaimed this 
body of water Pacifico, meaning ``peaceful.''
   This Pacific Ocean was thus a fitting backdrop for a meeting of a 
group of people attempting to bring peace into the lives of those 
affected by human trafficking.
   Last month, the Human Trafficking Radar Research and Data Roundtable 
hosted their annual Human Trafficking Research Conference. Overlooking 
the Pacific Ocean from their venue in Point Loma, California, 
individuals committed to ending human trafficking gathered to discuss 
and share important research and ideas.
   The featured speakers of the conference included accomplished 
academics and professionals, leaders in their fields to combat human 
trafficking. Two of the speakers, however, delivered a strong message 
by their mere presence together at the conference.
   Ebony Jones suffered sexual abuse as a young girl. Soon after her 
eighteenth birthday, she found herself a victim of modern day slavery. 
Since escaping her trafficker, she has become a strong advocate for 
victims of human trafficking. Motivated by her own personal experience, 
Jones has worked to spread her message, people outside of low-income 
backgrounds are not immune to exploitation by traffickers.
   Armand King once spent time behind bars for his life of crime, 
trafficking young women. But now, he's left his former life behind him. 
Armand is co-founder of Paving Great Futures, an organization that 
strives to drive at-risk individuals from a life of crime to 
opportunities of legitimate, respectable professions. King says he was 
lucky to be alive, and he relishes the opportunity to provide a unique 
and important perspective on human trafficking at the conference.
   Together, near the very spot where the first Europeans landed in 
California several hundred years ago, Armand and Ebony urged the 
conference to pursue a new beginning: a world without human 
trafficking.
   Mr. Speaker, America needs more individuals like Ebony Jones and 
Armand King coming together to discuss ways in which we can reduce or 
eliminate human trafficking altogether. This scourge on humanity 
traumatizes the lives of thousands of people around the world, and 
their perspectives and support are a valuable asset as we continue the 
fight against this heinous crime.
   Above all, Armand and Ebony strive to bring to the world what 
Magellan saw in those serene waters all those years ago: peace.
   And that's just the way it is.

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