It happened right under the entire community’s nose.
She was not kidnapped by a stranger in a dark alley
It was NOT just Jen who was trafficked.
No one ever went looking for the children, simply because they never went missing.
The children were coerced into participating and threatened into keeping it a secret. The trafficking finally ended when she was about 10 when the neighbor suddenly moved away.
Jen went to great lengths to hide the abuse from her single mother, who never found out about the tragedies that Jen experienced.
Stories like Jen’s drove us to write JVTA. As did stories like Tina Frundt’s, who joins us today
She is a huge part of the solution with her organization Courtney’s House and her membership on the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking created by JVTA as well as the persistence of many of the groups present today
The United States views itself as a leader in the fight against human trafficking
Yet, before the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act (JVTA) became law,
The federal government barely funds efforts to combat trafficking in the United States.
Carolyn Maloney, a Democrat from New York and I lead the effort on JVTA in the House. Congresswoman Maloney and I hardly speak the same language
Being from New York she thinks I talk funny
A Texas Republican, Senator John Cornyn
The bills were combined in the Senate,
The law addresses the common problems we heard from the field
A $5,000 special assessment is collected from those convicted of human trafficking and other related charges,
A fundamental goal of JVTA is for victims of human trafficking to be treated as victims and not criminals. This is addressed in a number of provisions in the law, including a newly created community-based block grant.
We also focus on the demand—buyers, those that exploit women and children. While many call these people “johns,” I call them child molesters.
John is a name from the Bible, a good guy, not someone who pays money to abuse a fellow person.
JVTA clarifies that those who buy sex from trafficking victims are human traffickers, can and should be punished under federal law, and are subject to the same penalties as sellers.
JVTA has done a lot to change the mindset of people in this country
In order to truly be the leader in the fight against modern day slavery. We anxiously await the response to our letter. A society will be judged by how it treats the most vulnerable
And that’s just the way it is