Human Trafficking Survivors Get Voices Heard by Administration through Bipartisan Bill

Press Release

To ensure that the experiences and lessons of survivors of human trafficking are heard by policymakers, Representatives Mike Honda (D-CA17), Ted Poe (R-TX02), Karen Bass (D-CA37), and Rodney Davis (R-IL13) today introduced the Voices of Human Trafficking Act of 2014.

This bipartisan measure will create a survivors-led U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking to review federal, state, and local government policy and programs on human trafficking. This council will advise, formulate assessments and recommendations, and submit reports to senior Administration and Agency officials about human trafficking. Most importantly, it will provide a platform for the Administration to hear directly from the survivors and experts. The goal is to learn how human trafficking can be prevented, and how to best treat those who have been trafficked.

"Human trafficking is a crisis, inside and outside the United States, that too many people have been willing to overlook," Congressman Honda said. "By letting those who have experienced this ordeal tell their stories to, and work with, key policymakers, we will be able to write better laws and regulations to eliminate this atrocity, once and for all. With the Super Bowl coming to Silicon Valley, there will be greater attention paid to human trafficking and its survivors."

Congressman Honda added, "Be it labor or sex trafficking, human trafficking is the worst kind of atrocity. Sadly, my home state of California is near the top in reported trafficking cases. An estimated $32 billion-a-year global industry, human trafficking continues to endanger, exploit, and enslave lives. The Voices of Human Trafficking Act is essential to turning back the tide of this modern-day slavery, as it allows those survivors who were impacted by this cruel system to voice their experiences and educate policymakers. This legislation values survivors, beyond just their stories; it empowers them to help eradicate this scourge, once and for all."

Congressman Poe said, "The scourge of human trafficking is occurring all around us. We must do all we can to combat this form of modern day slavery. Victims can and should play a critical role in efforts to fight this crime. This legislation will give them a voice and platform in the policy making process, ensuring that legislation established by the federal government is effective."

Congresswoman Bass said, "Sex trafficking survivors must stop being ignored, and this legislation will give them a voice to policy makers. These girls have all too often been lost in our foster care system, and this legislation is a step to making sure that we do not lose their voices once they are rescued."

Congressman Davis said, "As a member of the Congressional Human Trafficking Task Force, I am proud that the House continues to fight against this form of modern-day-slavery that affects the lives of more than 20 million victims around the world. The Voice of Human Trafficking Act is a logical next step in that fight because it gives survivors of human trafficking a direct role in shaping public policy to put an end to this abhorrent practice."

Congressman Honda has been an active fighter against human trafficking throughout his Congressional career. He ensured $45,365,000 for Victim Services Grants, to help support services to victims of human trafficking, as well as help with training of those who provide services to victims, in the 2015 Commerce, Justice, and Science Subcommittee budget. He also got language included in the 2014 fiscal year budget that calls on the Japanese government to apologize for the sexual enslavement of over 200,000 during the Second World War. Previously, he secured funding for the YWCA Silicon Valley's Human Trafficking Victim Support Center and the National Institute on State Policy on Trafficking of Women and Girls.

The Voices of Human Trafficking Act is a companion to Senator Barbara Boxer's S. 121.