[gavel clacks] i want to want to thank our witnesses. We have votes going on right now. With the chairman guidance, we shall continue out of respect for your time. We will begin with my own questions as other members role in your and we will entertain those. Ner, thank you for your leadership. This is such an important area. Were shining a National Spotlight on the importance of it, and just so grateful for your efforts. Work on this issue that the state departments annual trafficking in persons report is a valuable resource in for your efforts to fight Human Trafficking. Yes . Yes, absolutely i do. Ashton you cant solve the problem if you dont know how big it is. So we want that report to be as accurate as possible, right . These are what we call leading questions. [laughter] tomorrow i plan to introduce a piece of legislation called the department of state and usaid agency for and us accountability 2017. And provides this committee better transparency regarding the more than 180 General Accountability Office recommendation for the department of states and usaid that have not been fully implemented. , the recommendations are at heast among t recommendations or at least 3 pertaining to this area where you are passionate. The legislature will enable this committee to conduct more effective oversight. Usaidld require state and to light a timeline of implementation of these antitrafficking proposals, as well as other proposals. Would ensure that any gao recommendation that is not implemented, we are sure as to why that is. Given the large number of open recommendations, would be my hope that most would be implemented, and we can get bipartisan support for this effort. I am inviting members of both sides of the aisle to work with me on this legislation. We will be dropping it tomorrow. I would like to ask both of our the growing in of sexual exploitation, forced labor, what we generally call modern slavery here in around country. Some of my thinking is informed by the good work that has been and with the leadership of the Indiana Attorney general, and so many other stakeholders in our state, we have put together a a report, the 2016 indiana state report on Human Trafficking. Typically we ask for unanimous consent to enter into the record. I consent to have entered into the record. [laughter] i think this will be instructive to further your efforts, and those of others who are working on this issue. This was the product, this report, and related initiatives in my home state of indiana, was the product of a privatepublic partnership to address the unique challenges that our state and others are facing. The report indicates that the condition of Service Providers youth in traffic 2016 . Rafficked youth in 2016 alone. Of those provided in 2016, 94 were girls. As a father of three young girls, i feel particularly passionate about the need to address this. Is something that afflicts both genders as well. The report found 30 of those infected are 15 or younger, percent between the ages of 10 between the ages of 12 and 14. In indiana, victims were as young as 7 when first trafficked. These speak to the broader challenges we face nationally and internationally. If you could each speak to whether the tribe lines trend lines in the state of indiana are reflective of your findings across the country. Ages, gender. Ashton most studies have found that average age of entry is 12 years old. Numbers you of the are finding in your state are accurate. Relative to the legislation you are alluding to earlier, i would like to ask, then went . Then what . We to measure it, we know that it is a problem, but then what . What are the consequences if the reporting is not there . What is the tools are not being used . Sen. Young i would be happy to indulge that question. Working with the chairman and Ranking Member and people on both sides of the aisle, i think we should make every effort to make sure that the state department has a specific concrete plan of action, comprehensive in nature that would arrest this problem internationally, since that is the focus of the state department. We also have to have a domestic range of solutions to this. End that we need a resource. And then we need a resource. I know that has been a point of this is your own testimony. Here on this committee, perhaps the first step is to see the numbers on both sides of the aisle continue to push and authorizing the, something the chairman has shown leadership on recently. To the extent that we can include trafficking, that is part of answer to your question. Did you have additional thoughts on the trend lines . Id o. I think those are reflective of what we see. I think it is really important, the state level focus on trafficking. It is a big global problem and there are a lot of ways we need to tackle it. It is really quite important. That sounds like extraordinary leadership at the state level to be tackling these issues close to home. Hearf the things that you from both of us is the reporting is to measure progress and know what strategies are working. One of the things that human rights first is focusing on is making sure that federal and state Law Enforcement have the resources they need to go up higher in the food chain of these criminal enterprises, both on labor and sex trafficking. Labor trafficking cases are a much smaller percentage of the overall prosecutions that have been. There are a greater percentage of victims in the labor trafficking area. They are much more complex and expensive cases to bring. They are really important. I think congress should Pay Attention in making sure that these prosecution units are wellfunded and can work in coalition at the state, and local, and federal level to integrate the solutions to those problems. You mentioned the Publicprivate Partnership peace. Sen. Young that was my next question. Thank you for anticipating it. Maybe you can speak to the importance of that. The indiana state report on Human Trafficking and entity it created to help fight the scourge in our state it is a notforprofit initiative. There are 75 authorizations statewide focused on collectively addressing this issue. Perhaps you can speak to the importance of these Publicprivate Partnerships in addressing modern slavery. Thank you. Just to touch on the point, another thing that should not be lost is the focus on demand prosecution in space. These are victims. You said it yourself, these kids are 12 and 13 years old. Is not a criminal, that his victim of a crime. That is not a criminal, that is a victim of a crime. If we are not prosecuting the traffickers, not just for trafficking, but, that is statutory rape. Kit should be treated as such and prosecuted as rape. I dont think that we do a good enough job yet of addressing that issue in that way. Sen. Young do either of you have thoughts on what we might do to for these individuals to justice . Ashton it my understanding there is an initiative underway currently that will address this within the judiciary system. I think the best thing we can do is to support the initiative. That the safe harbor provisions with bipartisan support, are very important. The Publicprivate Partnership ey. Ect is absolutely k is a lot that governments should together. Y and close as ashton pointed out, the supply chain into slavery, we have to be looking at that. Pieceshould be three publicprivate in this partnership. It should also be the private sector companies, and companies in particular. When i talk about american leadership, i dont just mean the american government, i mean all of us. In many places in the world, American Companies are the american brand. Making sure we enlist those companies, especially after you all passed legislation that humans the tariff act amends the tariff act. It allowed slaves made labor through this loophole. You have closed the loophole down. That is a potentially transformational thing in Human Trafficking. Now we have to make sure it is enforced, lieberman of the land Security Forces it, that the Companies Understand what they have to do. Most companies dont want anything to do with slavery. Many dont understand what they need to do to look at their supply chains and make sure there is no forced labor. We have to come together to talk about. One of the things youll could you a report was due to from the department of Homeland Security on how they are imple menting this new provision. That. You to ask for we would love to talk with you about that. Sen. Young thanks for your ideas and your counsel on this. We will continue to stay vigilant. That is the important thing. Thank you so much. Mr. Chairman. Thank you very much for coming back filling in. I appreciate it. I have had two experiences that had an impact on me. Was hearing the statement of someone in the audience speaking to his congregation saying, if not you, who . I think we all know what that means. We together who hear this people need to be the ending lve ourselves in this. The other was experiencing a group of about 20 young ladies in the philippines ending goine Police Department there, seeing would a u. S. Private entity was doing to teach prosecution. Seen how this is a crime of opportunity, many think this is largely the mafia. And they definitely are involved. But as you know, a lot of Small Business people take advantage. They have dominion and use this to make money. And ending efforts, it needs to be our focus part of the effort also has to do with what we do with victims after they have been victimized. The efforts that was so howessive to me was seeing these young ladies who were maybe 13, a rural part of the philippines. A gentleman came by and said, would you like to go to manila for the night . Brothel themselves in a for 7 or 8 years, or in a place they cannot get out of. They need to have a place to go, to be protected from people that would otherwise kill them or testify against them. They have to have a way of coming back into society. Can you speak to personal experiences as what we need to do as a nation to address that component also . Ashton sure. Pipeline out. Organizations 5 domestically doing good work. Courtneys house, the rebecca vendor initiative. I have had the privilege to to look at the organizations, and assess the effectiveness of it. They do extraordinary work. They do the best they can to rehabilitate them. I think one of the things we can thenitely do is cross sector of ngos and look at the one that is the most effective. Replicate that and grow it. I think there has to be accountability in our spending relative to this. There are simple low hanging opportunities that i think the private sector can come in and be drastically supportive. Administration calls Administration Roles are being ooks. On these kinds of b i think there is Enterprise Software that can be given away meshese and create efficiency in these organizations. You have to find a place to keep these people. I am in russia. The girls that were getting left out of the orphanages get let out at the same age. The traffickers circle the orphanages waiting for those girls to hit the prime age where they can use them. If people dont have an environment of love and support, and the expertise to help them with the Mental Health issue of the abuse they have endured, they dont get better. I think Mental Health is a gigantic issue in this country in a lot of ways. We have to look at this not only as a slavery issue, but a Mental Health issue, to make sure that finances and support are going into that arena as such. This is a problem globally as well. Is very similar. We have worked closely with many women. We gave our human rights award activist,i woman helping women abducted and held in sexual slavery by isis. These women are so traumatized. They are now barred from coming here under this order. They said, if you cannot save us from this, then just bomb us, because we cannot survive. They need to Mental Health services desperately, even if they cant come here to get them. I think there is more we could be doing to fund organizations that can provide those kinds of services to women who have or,fered unspeakable horr many of them children. Sen. Corker thank you. Senator menendez is. Is back. He was the lead sponsor of this legislation and has been my friend, certainly an advocate for victims in human rights. I look forward to your questions. I would like to submit to the record that human rights first is a blueprint for congress to dismantles Human Trafficking. First let me say that my is thence in the senate fundamental difference is that one senator committed to an idea or ideal and willing to fight for it can create change. You did that in the context of Human Trafficking. You made it a singular issue. You are focused on it like a laser beam. I am glad to have worked with you on. Clearly you deserve the credit. It is the embodiment of what you can do. Isolate you on. I salute you on that. I have listened to both of your testimony with great interest. In having a caucus on russia right now, but this is important. I have questions for both of you. May be the chairman will be generous with the time. You can take as much time as you wish. Sen. Menendez i wont do that, but i will ask serious questions. There have been questions regarding the integrity of the past two years trafficking in persons report. To me, that report is the gold standard. I want to show why it is so important. What do we do with them . The reports are a template for how we judge countries in the world. The amendment that i got into law, which now denies a country that is in tier 3 of trafficking any preferential access to the u. S. In terms of any trade agreement is incredibly important, a powerful tool. We need the right type is important right type of reporting so that people do not get removed from the category unless they do things necessary, which would be good for the victims of trafficking in their countries. Would have meant they improved their standards. I introduced Bipartisan Legislation with senator rubio and senator mccain that makes sweeping reforms to to the integrity of the writing process. I believe there is bipartisan consensus that reforming the ranking process is a priority we should address early in this congress. One,ou speak to, number organizations reactions to the report, and what damage, if any, did that. . Did that create . Thank you for your leadership on that legislation and on the tip report. Human rights first has focused attention on reports coming out of the state department that have been mandated by congress, and why it is important for those reports to be not colored by political considerations. For many years, we did the country report annually. We did a critique of those because we thought there was too much political influence. Administrations from different parties. There was too much political concerns and other shading the facts in those reports. We stopped doing that critique because we felt that the state Department Country reports had improved significantly and were much more objective. The point of reports is to provide a baseline for policy. That is why it is so important that results reports like these are just the facts and have integrity. We were concerned that there appeared to be of some countries scale without any demonstration about what the that. S were for tool fort has been an diplomats to use. People have improved performance as a result of the ranking process. Is important to have transparency about how those rankings are made, to make sure that countries dont get a free pass because we have other business to deal with. Sen. Menendez that is a concern. This is either as important as this country has dictated in a bipartisan way, which means you cannot subvert its importance because you have economic reasons for the country, may be to some degree even security reasons for the country. When you do that, you underline the essence of the importance of the integrity of trying to end human slavery. My legislation regards rankings to be contingent on concrete actions taken by the country in the preceding reporting period. The state Department Must explain how these actions or lack thereof justify the rankings. Would you support such changes . Ms. Massimino yes, i would. Tcher,enendez mr. Ku extraordinary work. Before i left to vote, i heard about you were talking about having the freedom to take a risk on the technology that could further help Law Enforcement entities both capture, reclaim those lives most trafficking, capture the traffickers, prevent efforts on trafficking. I said in another committee on the finance committee, which deals with all kinds of trade. If there was a way to incentivize the effort by you and others similarly situated, is there a specific way beyond letting you go big . Are there tax incentives . I think about already the systems that you have. Maybe one of the requirements is that other countries use the best Available Technology at the time. Something we dont have a in estimation as to whether they are moving in the right direction on Human Trafficking. Can you tell me how we do that and create a better opportunity employment . Opportunity for its the claimant . Core, the reason that most of our publicprivate partners are Technology Companies is because they are incentivized to do something about this. To performnies want they want they are tool to be used in the right way. They dont want to be regulated, because it regulates the potential of the tool for good. I cap and to support that notion, that it is the user that is the malicious actor. In order for these companies to maintain that stands, it is my belief that they have to support efforts in technology to actually grow to that fight against these atrocities happening on their platforms. Efore,