[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 1315-1316]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 SURVIVOR TINA FRUNDT--FIGHTS THE HUMAN TRAFFICKERS AND RESCUES VICTIMS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. Poe) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. POE of Texas. Madam Speaker, she was a 14-year-old girl when she 
was forced into sex trafficking. Her name is Tina Frundt.
  Like so many other trafficking victims, she was lured away from the 
safety of her home--a home nearby to this United States Capitol--and 
she was lured away by a man she thought she knew, and she trusted him.
  He sweet-talked her and promised her a perfect life somewhere far 
away. He was a smooth-talking, slick con artist, tempting her with 
gifts and affection just to get her into the slave trade.
  Her blissful, happy, and trusting world view all came crashing down 
when she found herself in a dark motel room surrounded by unfamiliar 
men in an unfamiliar city.
  The trafficker forced her to have sex with the men for money. When 
she refused to have sex, the men just raped her. They stole her 
dignity, her self-respect, and her happy spirit.

                              {time}  1215

  Tina had become a slave on the marketplace of sex trafficking. These 
disgusting predators used the innocence of children to force them into 
the horrific life of sex trafficking. Most cannot imagine the depths of 
the suffering and abuse Tina suffered during the next year. She was 
forced to have sex with over 18 men a day. When she fell short of the 
mandatory $500 daily quota, she was beaten and beaten and humiliated. 
Her life consisted of cigarette burns, broken arms, broken fingers, and 
intimidation. Tina was arrested, treated as a delinquent, and was 
shuttled from one jailhouse to another.
  Tina and other victims of human trafficking are victims of crime--
they are not criminals; they are not juvenile prostitutes. Under the 
law, juveniles cannot commit the crime of prostitution. These victims 
do not belong in the criminal justice system. It is the vile 
traffickers and buyers who belong behind bars. In fact, we built jails 
and prisons for these deviants.
  Stories like Tina's are common in our Nation. Sex trafficking just 
does not happen in foreign countries. As co-chair of the Congressional 
Victims' Rights Caucus, along with my friend Jim Costa and coauthor of 
the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, along with Carolyn Maloney, 
it seems to me that, in America, human trafficking victims need to be 
identified, rescued, and not abandoned.
  The Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act does three things: it 
prosecutes the traffickers--the slave traders--and it locks them up. It 
prosecutes the buyers in that it punishes them like the traffickers; it 
rescues the victims and treats them as victims, not as criminals; 
finally, it establishes a fund that is paid by the traffickers and the 
buyers to help treat and restore victims with long-term care.
  Let those crooks pay for the system they have created, and let them 
pay the rent on the courthouse. America cannot let young girls be 
bought and sold on the streets of our Nation. These predators are 
everywhere. They are not old men in trench coats but are young, good-
looking guys who are well versed in their vile trade. Their next victim 
could be anybody's daughter or wife.
  No human being should ever have to endure what Tina and other 
trafficking victims like her have gone through.

[[Page 1316]]

Tina was able to escape her slave trader, and she has become a 
survivor. Tina, along with many other survivors, has found a way to 
turn her darkness of hell into a light for good.
  Recently, I was honored to tour Courtney's House, which is a shelter 
right here in Washington, D.C., that Tina founded to rescue and support 
trafficking victims. She actively uses her personal experience to 
connect with those girls and give them support, nourishment, hope--
things that they need. Since 2008, Courtney's House has helped over 500 
victims escape the bonds of sex slavery and become survivors.
  In this Human Trafficking Awareness Month, I wish to commend Tina's 
leadership and zeal in helping other victims become survivors. Tina is 
inspiringly courageous. Victims and survivors should know that we as a 
society stand with them and by them; and let the law put the 
traffickers and buyers in jail.
  Madam Speaker, justice demands such.
  And that is just the way it is.

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