Providing for Congressional Disapproval of a Rule Submitted by the National Labor Relations Board

Floor Speech

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Ms. HEITKAMP. Mr. President, I want to thank my colleague from New
Hampshire. I think as we begin to have this broader discussion and as
we begin to explore the kind of path for other projects such as this
one--whether it is domestic violence, whether it is sexual assault and
changing outcomes--we know the first obstacle is awareness.

The first thing we need to do is to take these horrible issues, these
dark blotches in our society out of the shadows and put them into the
light and develop a plan and a strategy that will not only deal
appropriately with the law enforcement component of prosecuting and
finding appropriate penalties for people who engage in modern day
slavery, but also it is important that we look to prevention.

So I want to first take this opportunity to thank the senior Senator
from Maryland, Barbara Mikulski, for not only bringing together several
of the Senate women today who are coming to the floor to call for
action, to stop the scourge of human trafficking but also for her long-
term commitment to women and children and society's most vulnerable.

I think we all know that Senator Mikulski has stood tall, which for a
woman of her stature is always a little tough. She has stood tall for
those who have no voice in society and for those who are engaged in
some of the most horrible victimizations that we can imagine, which
today is the victimization of sexual human trafficking. So as the
Senator from New Hampshire has talked about and as a former attorney
general of North Dakota, I think I know how difficult it is to shine a
light on a problem that most people do not recognize or are,
unfortunately, unwilling to admit is a problem.

When we began in the 1990s to talk about a different strategy to
combat violence against women and domestic violence, which was an issue
that had lurked in the shadows. In fact, for many States that was an
issue that was considered a public health issue, not a criminal justice
issue. I, along with a number of my women colleagues who were elected
attorneys general, along with this body, and most noticeably now, Vice
President Joe Biden, began to have an ongoing discussion about the
Violence Against Women Act and what we needed to do not only to protect
victims but to change the dynamic.

I think that as we began to take that problem out of the shadows, as
we began to address the concerns of so many women who for years--
literally years--had been victimized in their home, in a place that
should be the safest place for human beings, we were able to build
awareness and change outcomes. There is still a lot of work to do in
domestic violence. But we believe that great strides were made simply
because we were willing to point the finger and shine the light and say
that this is not acceptable in our society.

I see a lot of similarities in this fight that we are waging today
against human trafficking. With the right strategy, the right partners,
the right policies and persistence, we are going to turn the tide on
human trafficking.

While there continues to be much time and attention focused on
intervention and recovery--I think that is rightfully so--and on
criminal prosecution, I would like to take my time today to talk about
preventing human trafficking in the first place. As the Senator from
the State of New Hampshire discussed, the bills that are addressing
this--the homeless youth bill--are absolutely critical to being a point
of intervention, to prevent children from being on the streets, from
being extremely vulnerable to victimization, from being extremely
vulnerable to traffickers, and by helping those children off the
street, by beginning to address the issues in their home that led them
to flee in the first place. I think that is a very important first step
to preventing human trafficking and human sex trafficking among minors.

I also think it is important that we learn from the experiences of
other places.

Last year I traveled to Mexico City with Senator Klobuchar, who, as
we know, has been a fierce advocate and a wonderful partner on this
issue, beginning not only with her work in the Senate but her work as
the Hennepin County attorney.

I also traveled there with Cindy McCain. I think we would be remiss
if we did not raise her voice and her name in this body today. She has
been a global leader and a tireless leader, working not only in her
State of Arizona but all across the globe. She has stood up to people
who say this is not a problem. She has stood up to people who would
just as soon sweep this under the rug and forget it is happening. She
has been a leader and a champion of not only the people in her State
and the women and children of this country but the women and children
of the world. I am proud of our association, and I am proud of our
friendship and the work we have been able to do together.

When we went to Mexico, we heard from countless government officials
and NGOs about the difficulties they face stopping this unspeakable
crime.

What I was particularly struck by were the stories of women and
children coerced into this life--not forcefully, not being grabbed off
the street against their will, but forced and coerced through promises
of a better life, promises of someone to love and care for them.
Unfortunately, for many of these young girls, these promises are short-
lived because these girls and women are quickly pushed into a world of physical abuse, drug use, and forced sex with hundreds, if not
thousands of men. What was once a promise of a better life is a
nightmare relived countless times a day as these victims are sold time
and time again, their value now strictly as a commodity to be
constantly traded over and over again. Imagine the horror of their
lives. Imagine the horror of their existence.

How do we prevent this from happening? We must make sure to work with
survivors. We must ask survivors to go to communities, to go to
vulnerable populations, and tell their stories. The women and children
who are most vulnerable and most susceptible need to hear firsthand the
tactics used and, most importantly, the reality of following these
false promises.

Shortly after returning from Mexico City, I met with Madai Morales
Albino from Mexico. She is an amazing survivor of human trafficking.
She was sexually exploited for 2 years, and she successfully escaped
while being transported from Mexico to New York City. She is now an
activist, and she talks about her experience and helps to teach and
prevent this crime among the youth. She has become a role model for the
younger girls at the shelter where she was cared for in Mexico. She
attends national and international forums and workshops as a speaker to
talk about her experience and the horror of human trafficking. She is
currently studying to become a lawyer so she can continue to help girls
who are now trapped in human trafficking.

The strength and courage of this young woman is awe-inspiring, and
she is changing outcomes. We need more people like her in the world. We
need more of her courage in the world, the courage to tell a story and
then the courage to reach out and relive that horror through telling a
story every day, the horror that was her existence.

We must also bring hope to the hopeless and love to those who do not
feel loved. We can do this through increased educational opportunities,
increased job opportunities, providing the necessary social services
infrastructure, and working to build a safer, stronger community
overall for women and children around the world.

Most importantly, what we should not bring to this is judgment;
instead, bring a helping hand, bring an opportunity for a new life.
Whether we are talking about the streets of Mexico City, Baltimore, or
Indian Country in North Dakota, we can and we must do better. We can
start taking action immediately in the Senate. We can directly impact
efforts to prevent human trafficking in the United States by providing
the resources necessary to work with some of our most vulnerable and
most susceptible--our runaway and homeless youth.

I urge the majority leader to bring forward S. 262, the Runaway and
Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act, a bill championed by my
great friend Senator Leahy. We all recognize that homeless youth are
some of if not the most vulnerable and susceptible to trafficking. This
is certainly true in North Dakota. It is certainly true in Mexico City.
I am certain it is true in every community where runaway and homeless
youth exist. This bill would provide much needed resources to this
population and would complement other antitrafficking legislation being
addressed in the Senate that addresses prevention, intervention, and
recovery services to victims.

I also call on the majority leader to act by urging him to also bring
S. 166, the Stop Exploitation Through Trafficking Act, and S. 178, the
Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, to the floor for a vote. I have
worked tirelessly to push both of those bills since the last Congress.
The Judiciary Committee reported two bills out of committee last week
with unanimous support, and it is time to bring those bills to the
floor for a vote. I believe all three bills should be part of a
comprehensive approach to preventing trafficking and supporting
victims.

We must do everything we can in our power to stamp out human sex
trafficking in our backyard, across the country, and across the world.

With that, I yield the floor to my great friend from the great State
of New York, Senator Gillibrand.

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