Rosa DeLauro Statement on Connecticut Human Trafficking Legislation

Bill Is Supported By All 55 Female Legislators

NEW HAVEN, CT—Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-3) released thefollowing statement today on bipartisan legislation on human traffickingpending in the Connecticut legislature. Congressrecently passed the Violence Against Women Act, which included the TraffickingVictims Protection Act, critical to protecting victims of human traffickingand strengthening prevention against the heinous crime.

"All across the globe – including here in Connecticut –women, teenagers, and even children are being ferried far from home and forcedinto prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation. By force, fraud, orcoercion, others are being compelled to hard labor against their will. This isslavery, pure and simple. We all know that slavery is abhorrent to our basicideals and to our way of life. The bloodiest war in our history was fought toremove this scourge from American life.

"And yet, here we are in the second decade of the 21stcentury and modern-day slavery is still an enormous problem. According to thePolaris Project, it is the fastest-growing criminal enterprise worldwide, andsecond only to the drug trade in its breadth and sweep. By other accounts, moremen, women, and children are in slavery today than ever before in the historyof our planet.

"This is not just a problem, it is an outrage. We have amoral duty to alleviate pain and suffering wherever we may see it. In the wordsof Abraham Lincoln: ‘If slavery is not wrong, nothing is wrong. I cannotremember when I did not so think and feel.' Societies are judged by how theytreat their least fortunate and we have a moral obligation to do everything wecan to protect girls and women from this modern day slavery, in our country andaround the world.

"The 55 female legislators in Hartford should be honored forhighlighting this issue. I am proud to support their work on this importantissue and will work with my colleagues to do everything possible on the federallevel to reinforce their efforts."