[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12732]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      TRUCKERS AGAINST TRAFFICKING

                                 ______
                                 

                              HON. TED POE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 14, 2016

  Mr. POE of Texas. Mr. Speaker, modern day slavery is happening all 
around us, and it occurs in the form of human trafficking. Victims are 
sold into sex slavery, drugged, beaten, threatened and forced to engage 
in horrifying acts at the demand of their captors. While many Americans 
are aware that human trafficking occurs, most think it exists primarily 
in faraway countries. This assumption however, is wildly mistaken. Many 
of us do not realize that in this nation, and in our very own 
backyards, individuals are held against their will, their bodies sold 
repeatedly day in and day out. In every state, city and suburb 
traffickers prey upon the most vulnerable and chain them to a life of 
unimaginable misery. As Americans, we cannot turn a blind eye to this 
fact any more.
  Human trafficking victims are constantly moved around by their 
traffickers, whether that's across our borders or around the country. 
This movement helps them evade law enforcement and increase profits by 
shuffling victims from buyer to buyer. With traffickers constantly on 
the road, who could possibly find and rescue these victims? Kylla 
Lanier asked herself that exact question several years ago when she set 
out to battle the scourge of human trafficking. It seemed 
insurmountable. Trafficking was everywhere, but then again she thought, 
so were truckers.
  Kylla, her mother and three sisters went on to pioneer the anti-
trafficking group, Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT). At 3.5 million 
strong, American truckers are an ideal ally in the war against 
trafficking. They have eyes and ears everywhere, from 12-lane freeways 
to dark back alleyways. The idea is simple. TAT trains truckers to spot 
potential trafficking operations or victims and report to a 24-hour 
hotline. These tips have already freed hundreds of trafficking victims, 
and as TAT continues to educate more truckers, we expect that number to 
rise. Due to the simplicity and success of this strategy, many trucking 
schools now teach trafficking prevention as part of their core 
curriculum.
  I whole-heartedly applaud the efforts of Kylla and her family, as 
well as those of all the truckers who have joined this fight against 
trafficking. We should all learn from this success story, but truckers 
cannot do this alone. We have a long road ahead of us in order to 
eradicate our country of modern day slavery. We must continue to raise 
awareness across all fields and in all parts of our society. The only 
way to defeat the evil of human trafficking is by banding together and 
working as one.
  And that's just the way it is.

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