Today, actor Ashton Kutcher—who is also the co-founder of the group Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children—testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, advocating for anti-sex-trafficking measures. Thorn builds software that helps combat human trafficking online.
Warning, the testimony isn’t easy to watch. During the 15 minute address, he details how severe the problem of human trafficking—especially when it comes the exploitation of children—has become around the world. He explained how his group helps law enforcements find victims and bring traffickers to justice. He also talked about the need for the government to support efforts and technology that can save children around the world, reform the foster care system and help the most vulnerable.
Kutcher then addressed the refugee crisis, and how it can lead to more human trafficking. He said:
When people are left out, when they’re neglected, when they’re not supported, and when they’re not given the love they need to grow, it becomes an incubator for trafficking, and this refugee crisis, if we want to be serious about ending slavery, we cannot ignore them, we cannot ignore our support for this issue in that space, because otherwise, we’re going to have to deal with it for years to come.