DeLauro, Ros-Lehtinen, Maloney, Bass Introduce Resolution Calling For Commitment to Combat Child Trafficking

WASHINGTON, DC—To mark the end of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month Congresswomen Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) and Karen Bass (D-CA) today continued their bipartisan push to rid America of child trafficking. They were joined by 36 of their colleagues from both sides of the aisle in introducing a resolution declaring “Our Daughters Are Not For Sale.”

“Many Americans think children are only forced into prostitution in far-away nations, but this crisis is unfolding here at home. These children are slaves and we all know slavery is abhorrent to our basic democratic ideals and way of life” the congresswomen said. “We fought a war 150 years ago to end this scourge in America for good, and yet it persists today, in many ways, because it can. Those who buy children in this fashion are rarely arrested and charged with a crime. Sadly, it is rarely the buyer — and much more often the trafficked child — who is punished for what is essentially child abuse and child rape.”

The resolution, which can be read in its entirety here, outlines the following principles:

• Educate local communities to protect sexually exploited and trafficked children

• Help girls who have been sold for sex

• Support the extension of existing services to child victims of trafficking

• Encourage law enforcement and prosecutorial protocols to treat girls as victims, not criminals

• Support an end to demand for girls

According to the FBI there are currently an estimated 293,000 American children at risk of being exploited and trafficked for sex. The majority are girls between the ages of 12 and 14. DeLauro, Ros-Lehtinen and Maloney introduced an identical resolution last year.


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