On May 7, the House Foreign Affairs Committee held a hearing, “Local and Private Sector Initiatives to Combat International Human Trafficking.” Chair Ed Royce (R-CA) and Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-NY) heard testimony regarding government and private sector efforts to prevent and respond to human trafficking within the U.S. and globally.
In his testimony, Don Knabe, supervisor on the Fourth District Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, said, “As we see patterns in child sex trafficking across geography, we must develop models for protection and prevention, by working together across levels of government and with NGOs, both here and internationally. For us in Los Angeles County, it started with building awareness. I would argue that there is some public knowledge of human trafficking, but to most people, it is happening ‘over there’ in some distant foreign country, not here in our communities…So we began our efforts with a focus on several levels of outreach. I was pleased that the private sector voluntarily joined us in our efforts.” He continued, “Raising awareness, however, is not just about the public. Through a federal grant, we have trained over 1,600 people, including judges, attorneys, community partners, county staff and other stakeholders who regularly come in contact with victims. Similarly, we would like to help medical professionals in emergency rooms and rape crisis centers see the warning signs.”
The following individuals also testified: