While there isn’t much Democrats and Republicans will agree on in the U.S. Congress, one issue that both sides have come together to crackdown on is human trafficking.
In rare bipartisan fashion, the House passed a slew of bills that would strengthen existing human trafficking laws, as well as make it easier for law enforcement to track and take down human trafficking criminals.
Child sex trafficking is a big business for criminals in the U.S., generating more than $9.5 billion a year, and according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), more than 300,000 minors annually are victimized by human trafficking.
Senator Marco Rubio and his wife Jeanette have been especially vocal about this issue, as Florida is considered to be one the states that where most human trafficking occurs.
Fellow Floridians, Representatives Dennis Ross (R) and Bill Posey (R) both put out statements supporting the bills.
Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL):
I am alarmed and appalled to know more than 20 million people in the world are victims of human trafficking. Selling and exploiting human life is an immoral and repulsive practice. Unfortunately, it is currently a $32 billion dollar industry. The most immoral part of trafficking is that children are being largely targeted. This violation of human rights must be stopped.
With Florida having one of the highest human trafficking rates in our country, I am proud to support legislation that will further prevent these horrific crimes.
Rep. Bill Posey (R-FL):
Human Trafficking is a modern form of slavery which enables huge profits for criminals who both traffic and exploit individuals, including many young girls… Hundreds of thousands of children are at risk of becoming victims of trafficking and forced labor every year. These are truly horrible crimes and we have a moral obligation to do all we can to capture these criminals and rescue their victims.
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