Human Trafficking

Kate Morozov: In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln and the U.S. Congress ratified the 13th amendment to the Constitution, which states, 'neither slavery nor involuntary servitude shall exist within the United States.' No sensible person believes slavery could happen in the 21st century, much less on our shores. We couldn't be more wrong. Slave traffickers around the world have rediscovered how profitable it is to buy and sell people. Each one of these girls could be your sister. Your best friend, or... as Annie Gray showed us, your daughter. None of these fifty-seven girls would have lasted more than four years in our country. Each one of them would have been worked to death as a sex slave in a brothel, murdered for an infraction of her masters' rules, or contracting hepatitis or AIDS. Human trafficking has emerged as a tragic whiplash of the economic transition that has occurred over the past several years in Eastern Europe. Men like Sergei Karpovich know how to take advantage of this. Now, we stopped him. But there are many more waiting to take his place. But no matter how difficult our battle is, it is vitally important that law enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, ICE, that we all keep working together as a team to battle these ruthless criminals. At the same time, we need to create a climate of hope for their victims. We need to give these young women the idea that their lives are still worth living, without shame, after all the desperation and hardship they've endured. And perhaps, most importantly, we must face the fact that none of this horror would be possible if our culture didn't create a demand for it. Ladies and gentlemen, the United States is one of the largest markets for sex slavery in the entire world. We need to realize that modern-day slavery is only occurring because we choose to ignore it. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen.