Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler (MO-4) and a panel of experts on human trafficking have taken a step toward increasing awareness of this horrific crime through a Summit on Human Trafficking, held in Columbia.
“It is easy to think of human trafficking as something that takes place only in big cities or in other countries when, in fact, this appalling crime is taking place right in our own backyard,” said Hartzler. “The Department of Justice’s Western District of Missouri alone is currently prosecuting 15 cases involving human trafficking.”
“In May, my colleagues and I passed a series of bills aimed at preventing or eliminating the spread of trafficking and protecting the victims of this crime against humanity,” Hartzler continued. “Many of these victims are pre-teens and young teenagers, with 80 percent of the victims being female. My hope is that the information shared at this summit will help educate and take awareness and prevention to the next step.”
“I thank all the panelists for taking part,” added Hartzler. “Each brought unique perspectives and insights along with valuable suggestions for combating human trafficking.”
The US Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2007 revealed 600,000-800,000 men, women and children are trafficked across international borders each year. Up to 50 percent are minors. In addition, the most recent U.S. government estimates are that as many as 17,500 people are believed to be trafficked into the United States each year, and some have estimated that 100,000 U.S. children are victims of trafficking within the United States during the course of a year.
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