By Tom Waring
Wire Staff Writer
U.S. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick took to the House floor last week in recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Month and in support of legislative efforts to address the crime and its victims.
“As both a member of the Human Trafficking Task Force and the representative for anti-trafficking advocates and organizations in my district, I am well aware of the devastating impact of this modern-day slavery in our nation and in our community. But 2015 can be the year we end this scourge,” Fitzpatrick said.
Human trafficking is a $32 billion annual industry, second only to drug trafficking as the most profitable form of transnational crime. In the U.S. each year, as many as 300,000 American children are at risk of being trafficked for commercial sex, according to Justice Department estimates. Traffickers frequently employ mental and physical abuse to control their victims, as well as debt bondage, social isolation, withholding of identification documents and threats against victims’ families.
Fitzpatrick, a member of the Congressional Human Trafficking Caucus, has worked on Capitol Hill and in Pennsylvania with local groups to increase awareness, support survivors and empower law enforcement to end trafficking and abuse.
To that end, he has worked to support the mission of local nonprofits and organizations — including Bucks Coalition Against Trafficking and Worthwhile Wear — to address prevention and recovery efforts. Last year, Worthwhile Wear opened The Well — Bucks County’s first program to provide long-term aftercare and housing to women survivors of trafficking and forced prostitution.
“Putting an end to the deplorable crime of human trafficking and modern day slavery in our region and around the world requires a coordinated approach at all levels — from the federal government to nonprofits like the Network of Victim Assistance,” said Kathy Bennett, NOVA associate director and co-chairwoman of the Bucks Coalition Against Trafficking. “NOVA and the Coalition commend Congressman Fitzpatrick for taking the lead on advancing efforts to combat trafficking and support survivors through legislation in Washington, as well as his support of efforts here in Bucks County.”
Fitzpatrick, a Republican, is serving his fourth and final term in the House of Representatives. The 8th Congressional District includes all of Bucks County and a portion of Montgomery County.
