The office of U.S. Rep. Rosa Del;auro , D-3, today issued her state in response to release of a "Report on Sex Exploitation and Trafficking Of Minors in the US"

See the study here:, Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States. 

DeLauro's release said, "The report details the need for a collaborative approach to fighting sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of minors, as well as the need to confront the demand side of these crimes."

Her statement (unedited here):

“According to the Polaris Project, human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal enterprise across the globe. Yet, most assume that sex trafficking of children only happens overseas. In America alone, an estimated 293,000 children are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation.

“This report recommends important changes needed to strengthen our nation’s emerging efforts to prevent, identify and respond to the sexual exploitation of children in this country. As the report states, ‘A nation that is unaware of these problems or disengaged from solutions unwittingly contributes to the ongoing abuse of minors.’ I will be introducing a resolution next month to raise awareness of the suffering by young girls at the hands of amoral predators in our own backyard.”

DeLauro is a cosponsor of the Strengthening the Child Welfare Response to Human Trafficking Act of 2013, which would strengthening the child welfare system to identify, document, and counsel children at risk of exploitation. In June she hosted an event to raise awareness of the unseen problem of domestic child trafficking.

Further, the office of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., issued a statement  as well

Blumenthal's statement (also unedited here):

                                    

“Sex trafficking is usually perceived as a faraway, foreign problem, but in fact, hundreds of thousands of children in the United States are at risk of abuse by sex traders. Children who rely on state child welfare and foster care systems are often most vulnerable to trafficking, which is why I, along with Senators Portman and Wyden, have introduced The Child Sex Trafficking Data and Response Act. This bipartisan bill would streamline data collection and reporting on sex trafficking in child welfare, and require state child welfare agencies to report the number of children identified as victims of sex trafficking and the identity of any child missing or abducted from care. I strongly urge Congress to pass this legislation, and support other measures to end the tragic sex trade of children in this country. I applaud DOJ and National Academies for this extensive report.”