U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) opened today’s Free the Slaves and Broward College human trafficking conference this morning with a call to action.
In a video message, Rubio called on the public to pressure Congress to pass The Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Human Trafficking Act (H.R. 1732) this year. The bill focuses on identifying and assisting children in foster care and welfare programs that may be trafficking victims.
Adoptions and foster care can be a “lifeline to a better life, not a path to being a trafficked victim,” Rubio said. He is one of the bill’s co-sponsors.
Rubio’s comments came during the conference called “Human Trafficking: Exposing the Crisis, Devising Strategies and Solutions.”
Learn more about The Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Human Trafficking Act here. Senator Rubio’s press release about the bill is here.
Follow the conversation from the conference on Twitter: #freetheslaves.
