Klobuchar is a national leader in the fight to combat sex trafficking and has introduced bipartisan legislation modeled after Minnesota’s “Safe Harbor” law that helps make sure minors sold for sex aren’t prosecuted as defendants but are instead treated as victims; the legislation is scheduled to be voted on in the Senate Judiciary Committee this week

During the hearing, Klobuchar highlighted the story of a 12-year-old girl from Rochester, MN, who was taken to a hotel and raped by a 34-year-old pimp, forced to take explicit photos of herself that were posted on Craigslist, and then forced to have sex with two more men who saw the posting

WASHINGTON, D.C. – During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing that U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called for with all 20 women senators, Senator Klobuchar today pushed to pass bipartisan legislation she has introduced to crack down on sex traffickers and support victims. Klobuchar is a national leader in the fight to combat sex trafficking and has introduced bipartisan legislation modeled after Minnesota’s “Safe Harbor” law that helps make sure minors sold for sex aren’t prosecuted as defendants but are instead treated as victims. The legislation is scheduled to be voted on in the Senate Judiciary Committee this week.

During the hearing, Klobuchar highlighted the recent indictment in a Rochester, MN sex trafficking case. In 2013, a 12-year-old girl from Rochester was taken to a hotel and raped by a 34-year-old pimp, forced to take explicit photos of herself that were posted on Craigslist, and then forced to have sex with two more men who saw the posting.

“Twelve-year-old girls should be going to school, playing with their friends and making plans for their futures—not being sold for sex,” Klobuchar said. “This young girl thought she was just going to a party with other teenagers, but she ended up being brutally victimized by sex traffickers instead. This horrific case is a reminder that sex trafficking isn’t just happening in some far-away nation. It’s happening in our own neighborhoods and in our own communities, in our own fast food restaurants and in our own hotels—and we have to take action to stop it.”

Earlier this month, Klobuchar joined with Senate women to call on the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing on sex trafficking. In a letter to the Chairman and Ranking Member of the Committee, all twenty women senators highlighted the need for a hearing to shine a spotlight on sex trafficking and push for solutions to put an end to these horrific crimes. That hearing was held this morning, and Senator Klobuchar provided opening remarks.

Klobuchar is a national leader in the fight to combat sex trafficking and has introduced bipartisan legislation modeled after Minnesota’s “Safe Harbor” law that helps make sure minors sold for sex aren’t prosecuted as defendants, but are instead treated as victims. Klobuchar’s bill, which she introduced with Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Heidi Heitkamp (D-ND) and Mark Kirk (R-IL), is supported by the National Conference of State Legislatures, National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Fraternal Order of Police, Shared Hope International, National Alliance to End Sexual Violence, United Methodist Women. Senators Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV), Dan Coats (R-IN), Al Franken (D-MN), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), John Hoeven (R-ND), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), John McCain (R-AZ), Claire McCaskill (R-MO), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Mark Warner (D-VA), and Roger Wicker (R-MS) have cosponsored the bill. 

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