Crime Subcommittee to Hold Hearing on Growing Crisis of Child Trafficking

Washington, D.C. – On Wednesday at 10:00 a.m., the Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee will hold an oversight hearing entitled, “Innocence for Sale: Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking.” The hearing will examine the growing crisis of child sex trafficking, including the role that technology has played in its growth, the challenges law enforcement face in investigating and prosecuting this crime, how states handle victims of minor sex trafficking, and the unique service needs of these victims.

Witnesses for the hearing will be:

• Mr. Michael Harpster, Acting Deputy Assistant Director, Criminal Investigative Division, Branch I, Federal Bureau of Investigation;
• Ms. Withelma “T” Ortiz Walker Pettigrew, Board Member, Human Rights Project for Girls;
• Corporal Chris Heid, Child Recovery Unit, Maryland State Police; and
• The Honorable Donna Quigley Groman, Supervising Judge, Kenyon Juvenile Justice Center, Los Angeles County Juvenile Delinquency Court.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.) released the statements below on Wednesday’s hearing. 

Chairman Goodlatte: “When perpetrators exploit children for their own financial gain, they rob them of their innocence and destroy their childhood. Unfortunately, while the growth of the Internet and smartphones has proved to be of great value in many aspects of our lives, it has also facilitated the commercial exploitation of children by providing an easy way to market these victims to potential purchasers.

“While we have strengthened our laws to combat child trafficking, we still have work to do to put these perpetrators out of business and in jail. This week we will examine this growing problem so that we can learn how the federal government can better partner with state and local law enforcement agencies to bring an end to these horrific crimes against children and find ways to better care for the victims of sex trafficking.”

Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner: “In a nation that prides itself on human dignity, opportunity and liberty, widespread child sex trafficking is utterly unacceptable. Sex trafficking is the fastest-growing business of organized crime in the world, and domestic minor sex trafficking is a mounting crisis. The sexual exploitation of children must be stopped, and those involved must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. As a society, we should protect our most vulnerable. Children are having their childhoods stolen from them—lured by pimps and traffickers willing to do anything to make a buck. This doesn’t only speak to the filth of these criminal networks and individuals, but also to the sheer decadence of those funding such activities. Without paying customers, these enterprises wouldn’t exist, which is why we need to attack this atrocity from all angles. As Chairman of the Crime Subcommittee, I take this issue very seriously and look forward to discussing the necessary steps to prevent child trafficking and provide services to those who have already fallen victim to this heinous crime.”  

Background: According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), sex trafficking is the fastest-growing business of organized crime and the third-largest criminal enterprise in the world. One organization estimates that child sex trafficking in the U.S. is a $9.8 billion industry. However, since these crimes usually occur outside of the public eye, it is difficult to estimate the number of minor victims of sex trafficking. One study estimates that over 290,000 American youth are at risk of becoming a victim of sex trafficking, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children estimates that one of every seven endangered runaways reported to the Center are likely victims of minor sex trafficking. And, from 2004 through 2008, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force experienced an increase of more than 900 percent in the number of minor sex trafficking complaints.

While the investigation and prosecution of human trafficking has often been carried out by state and local law enforcement, the enactment of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (TVPA) in 2000 made child sex trafficking in interstate commerce a federal crime. The TVPA is the primary legislative vehicle authorizing services to victims of trafficking and was most recently reauthorized in 2013.

All House Judiciary Committee hearings are webcast live at judiciary.house.gov.  The hearing will take place in 2141 Rayburn.  For more information about Wednesday’s hearing, click here.