DeLauro, Maloney, Weber Call on Attorney General Holder to Address the Demand Side of Sex Trafficking

WASHINGTON, DC--Representatives Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Randy Weber (R-TX) led 36 members of Congress in calling on Attorney General Eric Holder to address the demand side of sex trafficking. Like drugs and arms trafficking, human trafficking is a market-driven criminal industry that is based on the principles of supply and demand. Historically, the brunt of social and official stigma has fallen squarely on the supply side allowing the social stigma to fall on the victims. Law enforcement is only starting to realize that the best way to reduce prostitution is to crack down on the demand.

In 2005, Congress passed legislation that dealt with trafficking as a comprehensive problem, including authorizing grants for law enforcement to investigate and prosecute persons who purchase commercial sex acts, training state and local law enforcement, and ensuring reports presented an accurate picture of the problem and presented best practices. But the Department of Justice has cherry picked what parts to implement, avoiding everything related to demand.

“We are unaware of clear protocols for arresting and prosecuting sex buyers and collecting valuable evidence, during the FBI’s Innocence Lost national initiatives, which have resulted in more than 2,700 sexually exploited children identified and recovered,” the representatives wrote. “Child rape will never end as long as perpetrators walk away with impunity. These operations must incorporate accountability by prosecuting buyers as traffickers.”

DeLauro, Maloney, and Weber were joined by Representatives Jackie Speier, Earl Blumenauer, Juan Vargas, John Lewis, Mike Honda, Eric Swalwell, Keith Ellison, Janice Schakowsky, Eliot Engel, Gwen Moore, Betty McCollum, Barbara Lee, Bill Johnson, Jim McGovern, Jim Moran, Karen Bass, Charles Rangel, Tony Cárdenas, Raúl Grijalva, Paul Tonko, Rubén Hinojosa, John Larson, Elizabeth Esty, Lois Frankel, Louise Slaughter, Filemon Vela, Madeleine Bordallo, Ann McLane Kuster, Grace Meng, Matt Cartwright, Jim McDermott, Katherine Clark, and Julia Brownley.