[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 14]
[Senate]
[Pages 21002-21003]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       TRAFFICKING VICTIMS PROTECTION AND VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I want to speak for a few minutes on a 
conference report, a bill we have been working on all year, including a 
couple of other provisions that have now been added. We are ready to 
move forward with it. That is what the vote will address tomorrow.
  I have put forward this bill on sex trafficking with Senator 
Wellstone. He and I don't get together on too many bills, so when we 
do, it is a bit noteworthy. We come from different perspectives, 
different viewpoints. I think we both have good hearts but our heads 
take us in different directions. But on this subject of stopping sex 
trafficking, we don't disagree. We have worked together all year to get 
this bill through which challenges this practice known as sex 
trafficking.
  Throughout the world, globalization has a dark side. We are seeing 
increasing numbers of young women, even girls, being trafficked from 
poorer countries to richer countries into the prostitution business. 
They have been tricked, forced, coerced and defrauded into working as 
prostitutes against their will. There are about 700,000 women and 
girls, according to our Government's estimates, being moved each year 
from poorer countries to richer countries into the prostitution 
business. Our Government estimates that approximately 50,000 women and 
children are trafficked annually into the United States, primarily from 
Asia and Central America.
  This is clearly a terrible practice. Many of these are young girls 
who are

[[Page 21003]]

tricked and deceived into forced prostitution believe they are going to 
a different country for another purpose. For example, those trafficked 
to the United States are promised a job as a dish washer, or a factory 
worker. Something that pays better than the job opportunities available 
in their own, typically poorer, countries. However, once the victims 
get here, there is no decent job waiting for them. Instead, the 
trafficker will take their papers and passport so that they have no 
legal identification. Then they are given false papers, if any. This 
begins to prepare them for their new life of forced prostitution, 
making it very difficult to track down and rescue the young woman or 
girl who has been trapped. There is a point very early in this process 
where the trafficker says something like the following to his victim, 
``You are mine and you will do what I say. You will work in this 
brothel as a prostitute and you have no choice.'' At this point, she 
had become a slave in one of the most degrading fashions imaginable.
  Senator Wellstone and I heard testimony to this effect. We have had 
two hearings in the Foreign Relations Committee on this subject of 
trafficking. At both hearings, we had victims testify to such 
experiences. At one hearing, we had three women who had been 
trafficked--all had been tricked into traveling to another country 
believing a good job was waiting on the other side, and once they got 
there, they were forced into prostitution. This is what they were 
subjected to. One young woman said that once she was moved into the 
United States, she was subjected to 30 clients a day, six days a week. 
If she refused, she was beaten without mercy. It is a dark, dark 
business.
  In January of this year I was in Nepal. I met with a number of girls 
who had returned from India, where they were forced to work in the 
brothels in Bombay. These were young girls, frequently from villages, 
not particularly knowledgeable in the ways of the world. They were 
young and very innocent when the trafficker had taken them away. The 
trafficker had told one girl's parents, ``I can get her a job in a rug 
factory in Bombay.'' The family was poor, they needed income, and they 
believed him. So they agreed, and gave their daughter away to the 
trader who forced her into prostitution against her will. And she had 
no choice.
  I met girls who had been trafficked at age 11, 12, and 13. The girls 
I saw in Nepal, in Katmandu, had returned from this devastating life. 
Some had escaped by running away, though many cannot since they are in 
chains or are locked away. Others were thrown out by the brothel 
because they had contracted AIDS or TB. When they returned at the age 
of 16, 17, or 18, two-thirds of them had AIDS and were waiting to die, 
having no proper medicine.
  As I stood there with the woman who runs this place of restoration 
for these young women, she pointed around the room whispering: She is 
dying, she is dying, she is dying. These were girls of 17 years old, 16 
years old, or younger. They were people who had had their youth stolen 
from them, were deceived or forced into this practice, and then, 
finally, received a death sentence of AIDS. I saw that. I talked with 
these survivors of trafficking. Once you see that, you know you have to 
try to help to stop this. This is wrong, and this terrible practice is 
increasing. It is happening to 700,000 women and children, girls, each 
year worldwide.
  Paul Wellstone and I worked very hard together. We have a bill that 
has gone through the Senate by unanimous consent which is the most 
comprehensive bill to combat this practice of sex trafficking. Among 
other provisions, this bill substantially increases the penalty for 
trafficking, while protecting those victims who have been forced into 
this awful practice. Presently, the victims of trafficking are treated 
almost as badly as their enslaver, but this bill changes that. Instead, 
this bill promotes the cooperation of the victims to testify against 
those who have forced them into trafficking. This will help to bust 
open the trafficking rings, which we are going very little of these 
day. It also promotes awareness programs so that people can protect 
their children and themselves from being tricked into forced 
prostitution.
  I support the increasing globalization of the trade community, but we 
also have to recognize the problems associated with globalization. 
Trafficking may be among the worst of those problems. The United States 
can be a leader in starting to combat this practice, thus giving back 
to young girls all over the world their childhood instead of a death 
sentence.
  Associated with this trafficking bill is a bill that Senator Biden 
has worked very aggressively on, the Violence Against Women Act. This 
is a reauthorization of that bill. These two bills are being paired, 
along with other measures. Senator Biden has spoken passionately and 
frequently on the need to deal with domestic violence in the United 
States, a very dark and pervasive tragedy in America.
  It recently passed in the House of Representatives as a stand alone 
bill, with only 3 dissenting votes. It is up for reauthorization. VAWA 
will help those women who are suffering from some form of domestic 
violence. It is a good piece of legislation and these two bills belong 
together.
  Also associated with this bill is an Internet Alcohol provision, as 
well as a provision dealing with terrorism, put forward by Senator 
Mack. It is noncontroversial. Also, in includes a bill entitled, Amy's 
Law, sponsored by Congressman Salmon in the House, and by Senator 
Santorum here in the Senate. It ultimately promotes tougher prison 
sentences for people who have been convicted of sex crimes such as 
rape.
  In summary, the two lead bills in this package separately address sex 
trafficking and violence against women and children. I plead with my 
colleagues to vote for this package. It will be up tomorrow morning. 
This package challenges brutal practices suffered by some of the most 
defenseless and battered in our society and worldwide. It will assist 
people in some of the most violent and crushing situations, both here 
and abroad. It will help so many.
  I plead with my colleagues in these last hours when people can put up 
roadblocks to bills. I plead with my colleagues to say that they will 
not block this bill which will help so many people who are brutalized, 
including by sex trafficking. I plead with my colleagues, let's move 
this package on through. This will clear through the House by a large 
vote. It is something we can do for the women and children in this 
country as well as worldwide. It is a sensible package. It has been 
worked out by both sides of the political spectrum, through both 
parties. So, please, let's do this.
  This is something we can all be very proud of passing as we go home. 
We can proudly say that we tried to do something, as we read increasing 
stories of forced sex trafficking worldwide. We can say we didn't look 
away by passing this bill.
  Everybody is not going to like everything in these bills. But these 
two lead issues are so critical and important, and time is so short for 
us to get these through. Let's not wait until next session as 
increasingly more and more girls are being tricked into this practice 
of forced sex trafficking.
  The United States can step up awareness and advocacy, and as we do, 
governments around the world will do the same. The U.S. has to speak 
first, however, and this is the bill to do the speaking. Let's do it 
now.
  As we vote on this tomorrow morning, I ask my colleagues to vote yes 
on these very important pieces of legislation to help children, to help 
women. These are vital pieces of legislation of which we can all be 
proud.
  Mr. President, I understand there may be some more items, so I 
suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.




                          ____________________