[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 28 (Friday, February 10, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E115]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





    RECOGNIZING MS. MARISA UGARTE, OUTSTANDING ADVOCATE IN THE 52ND 
                         CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JUAN VARGAS

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 10, 2023

  Mr. VARGAS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Ms. Marisa Ugarte, 
Founder and Executive Director of the non-profit Bilateral Safety 
Corridor Coalition (BSCC). Ms. Ugarte has worked diligently to combat 
human trafficking in San Diego County and Tijuana. BSCC's mission is to 
preserve the dignity and wellbeing of commercially and sexually 
exploited women and children through prevention, intervention, and 
education.
  In 1997, Marisa Ugarte founded the Bilateral Safety Corridor 
Coalition, and it was constituted as a 501(c)3 to coordinate services 
and advocate for victims of human trafficking. Ms. Ugarte's mission 
became clear when she came across rape camps among the canyons of San 
Diego, forced labor in agricultural fields, and child prostitutes in 
Tijuana's infamous Zona Norte. She knew something had to be done. 
Today, the Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition encompasses over 150 
government and non-governmental agencies in the United States and Latin 
America who are dedicated to combating trafficking and empower victims.
  Ms. Ugarte convenes an annual anti-trafficking conference in San 
Diego to bring awareness of the dangers and threats-imposed from active 
human trafficking across both sides of the border. With a plethora of 
years of experience in human trafficking and crisis intervention case 
management, Ms. Ugarte is a human rights advocate who rescues victims 
from the brutal and exploitative system.
  Ms. Ugarte has been an active speaker at conferences nationwide and 
internationally to discuss the commercial and sexual exploitation of 
woman and children. Her public speaking engagements have included but 
are not limited to: The Millennium Conference in Texas and the 
International Institute for Restructuring the Justice System in Mexico.
  Ms. Ugarte has received grants from the U.S. Department of Justice 
and the U.S. State Department to support her work. The International 
Foundation for Human Rights and Tolerance awarded her for bringing 
sanctuary to girls in illegal brothels in Southern California who had 
been smuggled across the border.
  Ms. Ugarte was honored as the 52nd District Constituent of the Month, 
particularly during National Human Trafficking Prevention month in 
January 2023, for her outstanding commitment to supporting victims of 
human trafficking.

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