Keloland News - Noem Brings Issue Of Sex Trafficking To Washington

News Article

By Leland Steva

The issue of human sex trafficking isn't just a concern locally, it has reached Capitol Hill.

U.S. Representative Kristi Noem played a major role in bringing the issue of human sex trafficking to Congress. She sponsored a bill called 'The End Sex Trafficking Act of 2013.'

"I expect this bill to move through and be signed into law because everyone recognizes that this crime is horrendous. You want to do all you can to protect our children," U.S. Representative Kristi Noem said.

The goal of the bill is to target both the people providing the prostitutes and those soliciting the sex acts. The Republican Representative says there needs to be more discussion about this crime.

"Look at the number of children that are sex trafficked in South Dakota and across the world. It is shocking. You know when you look at 4.5 million potential victims worldwide, but up to 300,000 of them in the United States could be children. I don't think the normal, everyday person thinks about that very often," Noem said.

The website backpage.com is the most talked about website for sex trafficking in Washington, but Noem believes there are many other websites people should be aware of.

"I think any website that markets goods to people could be abused. We're tying to bring some clarity to internet laws that would allow us to try and protect those sites better," Noem said.

No matter the outlet, Representative Noem says she will continue to fight to protect children.

Noem says the best way to prevent sex trafficking is more communication and public awareness.

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