SAN DIEGO – This evening, U.S. Congressman Scott Peters (CA-52) hosted a forum with State Senator Marty Block (D-39) at Pt. Loma Nazarene University to shed more light on the tragedy of human trafficking, and to discuss policy perspectives to stop the illegal trafficking trade.

“Smuggling and trading human beings is an affront to civilized society and it must be stopped,” Rep. Peters said. “It will take a highly coordinated effort between federal, state, and local actors to end this scourge, and supporting non-profit entities to help the victims recover. I’m proud to bring this panel together to discuss how we can stop human trafficking in our community.” 

“Human trafficking is among the most heinous of crimes,” said Senator Block. “Gangs and others are using human beings as ATM machines. The only way to stop them is by working together and attacking this crime from multiple fronts with multiple tools. That has been one of the aims of my legislation. Tonight’s forum brings together an army of law enforcement and concerned citizens who can help San Diego battle this vicious crime.”

The forum included Mary-Ellen Barrett from the San Diego District Attorney’s Office, Susan Munsey from GenerateHope, Elizabeth Camarena from Casa Cornelia Law Center, and Mollie Ah Sing from Bilateral Safety Corridor Coalition.

Earlier this year, Rep. Peters introduced two anti-human trafficking bills in Congress:

• H.R. 5043, the ‘Partnering to Abolish Child Trafficking (PACT) Act,’ which would amend prior legislation to allow Congressional oversight over child protection compacts. This increased accountability would make efforts to combat human trafficking more efficient.
• H.R. 5044, the ‘End Modern-Day Slavery Act,’ which would develop a comprehensive, national action plan to ensure greater effectiveness in interagency cooperation. Currently the United States’ approach to combatting human trafficking is spread across numerous federal agencies.

More information on the legislation can be seen HERE.

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