BOISE, Idaho – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today released the following statement on Human Trafficking Awareness Day:
“Human trafficking continues to be a significant global issue that affects tens of millions of people each year. In an effort to address this scourge, I was proud to support the Human Trafficking Prevention Act last Congress which will help prevent this abhorrent crime by requiring the posting of the National Human Trafficking Hotline in the restrooms of all U.S. planes, busses, and trains, as well as airports, bus stations, and rail stations. The Senate also confirmed Ms. Cindy Dyer as the ambassador at large to combat and monitor trafficking in persons last Congress – a job that was vacant for almost two years.
“While Congress has been proactive on this issue, the Biden Administration continues to fail to prioritize it. To make up for this deficiency, I will continue to work with my colleagues to enact the International Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022 – legislation that would ensure the State Department has the tools necessary to assist other countries’ abilities to properly investigate and prosecute traffickers. We must do all we can to combat human trafficking.”
###