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WKXW 10/30/2020 8:11:59 AM: Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04) was a live call-in guest on NJ101.5 today with host Bill Spadea. The following are excerpts of the show:
Spadea: Please welcome my friend Congressman Chris Smith back to the show... and he has some good news to share... Actually this week marked the 20th anniversary of something that Congressman Smith championed, it is the victims of trafficking and violence protection act's 20th anniversary. This was designed to combat trafficking and fight against violence against women, and Chris Smith was the author and has been an outspoken advocate... he's out doing his job focusing on constituent service. Morning Chris, how are you?
Smith: Morning, Bill, and thanks for having me on, appreciate it it.
Spadea: So tell me about this bill and the real problem human trafficking that is still going on in the world... .
Smith: Oh, without a doubt. It's still growing. It's a huge problem in New Jersey, throughout the rest of the country. And part of that is that during COVID-19 that's gotten worse for young kids who are online, and predators are trying to groom them to send in pictures of themselves and that leads to a whole horrible outcome. So parents need to be very aware of that and monitor very, very aggressively the use of phones, as well as the use of internet with so many children and with so many predators trying to find those kids to exploit them. So the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act, all of which were my law.
It was 20 years ago this past Wednesday, just a couple days ago. It empowers a whole-of-government approach. The prosecutors now can bring charges... they're prioritized. And there have been thousands of prosecutions, successful ones, that have put those whom commit these heinous crimes behind bars for long periods of time. That [Keith] Ranier, the man that was part of the that horrible cult in NY just got 120 years and they used my law to prosecute him.
Spadea: That's good.
Smith: So, it really makes a difference. And then, Bill, we call it the three "Ps" ...a Prosecution of traffickers, Protection of the victims, which are primarily women and children, and then Prevention strategies. And my most recent law just signed by President Trump named after Fredrick Douglas... that one has come up with some very good curriculum for our students to make them situationally aware, so they are not lured into this terrible, nefarious international trade where women are turned into commodities for sale. So it's made a difference, both domestically and internationally. And it's right here, gangs and organized crime are the two principle drivers behind it... having met so many trafficking victims. A matter of fact, in the 1990s when I had a whole series of hearings I had women who had been trafficked tell their stories . I'll tell you, the pain and the agony of in their voices and in their eyes and in their hearts helped me get the bill passed. Because a lot of people didn't want to do it. They were either indifferent or they thought it was a solution in search of a problem, or they simply just said 'ah, let's do other things.' So it took a while to get this law signed.
Spadea: Yeah, but you did it, you got it done. And you've been a tireless champion for those without a voice at so many levels in government.
Smith: And Bill, just one quick thing. If people see something that doesn't look right, almost like with the mantra that we have with terrorism: 'if it doesn't look right, make a call,' call local law enforcement and let them know "Hey, this is going on, I think there might be something going where women are being forced into this horrible trade. It's modern reality slavery.
Spadea: It's a reality. it's a reality.
Smith: We can stop it.
Spadea: Thank you, thank you, Chris for your leadership. You take care. All right that was Congressman Chris Smith represents the 4th District New Jersey... .
Spadea: I want to thank my yeah my friend congressman Chris Smith for coming in. Yeah, he mentioned that one of his one of his bills protecting women and children is named after Fredrick Douglas. Fredrick Douglas is one of the great figures in American history. This is a man who escaped slavery in Maryland became a national leader of the abolitionist movement. His history goes back to being a young kid, learning how to read and then teaching other slaves, had read the Bible and one his great quotes I quote often is 'it is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men,' and I think it's especially important to understand that quote today... .
The above are excerpts from the broadcast which aired live Oct. 30, 2020.