[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 160 (2014), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12722]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           HUMAN TRAFFICKING

  (Ms. HAHN asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. HAHN. Mr. Speaker, far too many of our young girls have fallen 
victim to modern day slavery. Last fall, I witnessed human trafficking 
firsthand during a visit to Costa Rica with my colleague from Texas, 
Ted Poe.
  The stories we heard were heartwrenching. Girls--8, 9, 10, 13 years 
old--were being victimized and abused by grown men. This is not just a 
problem outside our borders. This is happening in our backyards.
  In my community in Los Angeles, African American girls are 
overwhelmingly at a greater risk, making up 92 percent of youth sex 
trafficking victims. This is alarming and shameful.
  On the average, victims are recruited between the ages of 12 and 14. 
These girls are victims, not criminals, and we must do everything in 
our power to protect them.
  Recently, we have seen a paradigm shift in the protection of these 
victims. L.A. District Attorney Jackie Lacey has implemented the First 
Step diversion program, which will give victims the opportunity to 
rebuild their lives through counseling and education, an alternative to 
prosecution.
  Programs like this and my colleague Karen Bass' legislation that is 
on the floor today will help protect victims of human trafficking and 
not punish them.

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