Kuster Urges Senate to Pass Legislation to Fight Human Trafficking

Yesterday, U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster, D-NH, joined House colleagues in urging Senate leadership to bring a series of bipartisan anti-human trafficking bills to a vote.

These bills all passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support between May and July 2014. Kuster was a co-sponsor of many of these bills and a strong advocate for anti-human trafficking legislation in Congress. In May 2014, she held a roundtable discussion in Concord, to hear from victims and advocates.

“While many believe human trafficking only occurs in foreign countries, an estimated 293,000 American youth are at risk of sex trafficking and commercial exploitation in the United States every year. These statistics are completely stunning, and we must do more to combat this terrible practice,” said Kuster. “It is also critical that we ensure victims of human trafficking get the support and resources they need to put their lives back together. That’s why I fought for passage of many of these bills to put an end to human trafficking once and for all, and I urge the Senate to do the same.”

Kuster is a strong proponent of legislative measures to address human trafficking. In May, she joined Rep. Ann Wagner, R-MO, in leading all women Representatives in the U.S. House in urging additional sanctions against Boko Haram, which has kidnapped hundreds of girls and engaged in human trafficking.

Since May, she has signed on to both Republican- and Democratic-sponsored legislation that aims to stamp out human trafficking and provide support to victims in the United States and around the world.

Submitted by U.S. Rep. Ann McLane Kuster.