Heitkamp Highlights Need to Address Human Trafficking at Human Rights Talk in Bismarck

Press Release

U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp today emphasized the need to address crimes involving human trafficking as human rights issues while speaking at the State Historical Society of North Dakota's "TALK 2015: Human Rights Challenges and Solutions."

Heitkamp joined former North Dakota U.S. Attorney Tim Purdon in discussing human rights abuses involving human trafficking, and how to tackle these crimes through collaboration between law enforcement, social services, and civic involvement. Heitkamp has long been a leading advocate in North Dakota and nationally fighting for the eradication of human trafficking in the Senate, holding an initial Senate hearing in September 2013 on efforts underway at the federal, state, and local levels to combat human trafficking, including in Indian Country. Before her Committee hearing, there had been little discussion on the issue in the Senate.

She has been a strong advocate for numerous anti-trafficking bills, including the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act, which would provide essential outreach and services to homeless youth to prevent them from getting caught up in trafficking rings. When statistics show that on average, children are 13 years old when they are forced to become victims of sex trafficking, it's clear that the nation's most vulnerable children are often the most susceptible and in need of protections from these crimes. Just this month, a 14-year-old runaway from Las Vegas was rescued by Minot police after her mother recognized her photo in a Backpage.com advertisement, which her traffickers were using to sell her for sex. In the United States, children under 18 make up about a quarter of the homeless population, with one in 30 children is homeless across the country.

"Working together, we must protect our most vulnerable populations from human rights abuses, and that means unmasking sex trafficking as the form of human enslavement that it is," said Heitkamp. "To do that, we need to improve protections for victims of human trafficking, increase and create harsh penalties for those benefitting from this multi-billion dollar criminal enterprise, and boost resources for social service organizations and our communities. It's also critical that we protect homeless and runaway youth -- who traffickers specifically target to perpetuate these crimes. This statistic became all too real last week when a 14 year old girl who had run away from home was being sold for sex in Minot. To help support these kids, our bill would help build up a support system and construct policies that protect victims who fall prey to trafficking. Together, we must make sure we are providing a safe and secure community for generations to come."

Since her time as North Dakota's Attorney General, the insidious problem of sex trafficking has proliferated across the country, and in North Dakota the influx of people and money accompanying the state's oil and gas boom has also attracted a criminal element looking to profit through the exploitation and trafficking of individuals. Heitkamp has been working tirelessly to bring these issues to light. In the Senate, Heitkamp has been a leader on the issue, traveling to Mexico last spring with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Cindy McCain -- a global leader in the fight against trafficking, and meeting with United Nations Ambassador Samantha Power as well as with female ambassadors from countries around the world to combat the issue internationally.

This Congress, Heitkamp renewed a bipartisan push to crack down on sex trafficking in the United States by putting forward legislation to give prosecutors the tools they need to combat domestic minor sex trafficking, and to help give victims the support they need. Last month, Heitkamp worked with Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine to offer a bipartisan, compromise path forward on legislation to stop human trafficking. Heitkamp has also been a vocal advocate for the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking and Prevention Act, which would help protect some of the most susceptible targets of human traffickers. Last month, Heitkamp spoke on the Senate floor and appeared on CNBC to talk about the dire need for protections provided in the bill.

In North Dakota, Heitkamp helped lead three local training sessions with U.S. Department of Homeland Security officials since May to train North Dakotans, women leaders in the state, and law enforcement and victims service providers on how to identify, report, and investigate incidents of human trafficking. In September, Heitkamp launched her Strong and Safe Communities Initiative to help address some of the emerging challenges facing the state, including the increase of human and sex trafficking. On National Human Trafficking Awareness Day in January, Heitkamp led a conversation in Fargo with law enforcement and local advocates on the progress of eradicating human trafficking across North Dakota, and what more needs to be done.

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