On January 9, 2014 Rep. Ted Poe of Texas asked for and was granted permission to address the issue of sex trafficking during the Superbowl. An issue many are loath to talk about today because the perpetrators of such crimes are often respectable people within the community. They are also fathers, husbands and grandparents who you might not ever suspect of being involved in this horrendous crime when they go away to other states during Superbowl events here in America.
Over 400,000 men from all over the country, including small town and major cities are expected to attend the Superbowl event this year in New Jersey – many will engage in the crime of soliciting sex and purchasing prostitutes who are in many cases delivered right to their hotel rooms.
“Mr. Speaker, the United States is gearing up for the next Super Bowl. Unfortunately, so are human sex traffickers. Super Bowl Sunday is not just the sporting event of the year; it has also become America’s traveling human trafficking magnet. Exploiters roam the streets looking for prey.”
“Last year, while the two teams battled it out on the field, a young trafficked girl prayed for her life while sold for sex. These are women and children who have been taken as sex slaves, becoming sought-after entertainment on Super Bowl weekend”, he said.
“New Jersey’s efforts toward eliminating this dastardly deed are to be commended. Hopefully, they are successful in curbing modern-day slavery at the Super Bowl. But this crime ought not to be, not at a major sporting event, not in our neighborhood”, said Poe.
“That is why Carolyn Maloney and I have introduced H.R. 3530, the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act, which will go after the traffickers and the consumers of this slavery. We need to protect victims and prosecute the slave trafficking deviants”, said Rep. Ted Poe (source: Congressional Record http://thomas.loc.gov).
See related report: Sex Trafficking a big concern ahead of Superbowl http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/06/sex-trafficking-super-bowl-new-jersey_n_4549064.html
See article: New Jersey braces for influx of sex traffickers http://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-jersey-battles-super-bowl-sex-trafficking/