Ashton Kutcher Speech on Human Trafficking Before Congress | ABC News

The speaker begins by expressing gratitude and honor for being part of the effort to combat human trafficking. He acknowledges the bipartisan support for this cause and emphasizes the importance of the right to pursue happiness, a right he believes is violated through force, fraud, and coercion. As the chairman and co-founder of Thorns, he discusses the organization's mission to fight against sexual exploitation and trafficking. He shares his personal motivation as a father to protect his children's right to happiness and society's responsibility to uphold this right. The speaker recounts his experiences meeting victims and participating in FBI raids, highlighting the horrifying realities of child abuse and trafficking. He also mentions the development of a software tool called Spotlight, which aids law enforcement in identifying and prioritizing trafficking cases, and its success in reducing investigation times and identifying thousands of victims.

The speaker discusses the misconception that technology inherently causes harm, arguing instead that it is a tool that can be used for both good and evil. He highlights the success of the Spotlight tool and introduces another tool called Solace, which is designed to investigate and combat trafficking on the dark web. The speaker emphasizes the need for funding to build and improve these technologies, which become more efficient and cost-effective over time. He also stresses the importance of data collection and key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of their efforts. The speaker calls for continued private-public partnerships, citing the support from various tech companies and the McCain Institute as crucial to their success.

The speaker highlights the foster care system as a critical issue that must be addressed to combat human trafficking. He presents alarming statistics about the high likelihood of foster care children to be exposed to sexual abuse and their overrepresentation in the prison system. He argues that the foster care system is a microcosm for the broader issues of displacement and neglect that can lead to trafficking. The speaker also addresses the need for mental health support and resources for victims, emphasizing that without proper care, recidivism rates are extremely high. He calls for a bifurcation of sex trafficking and labor trafficking, recognizing that each requires different legislative and enforcement approaches.

In the final paragraph, the speaker touches on the economic implications of disrupting marketplaces and the potential backlash that may result from efforts to end slavery. He draws a parallel to Abraham Lincoln's decision to end slavery despite the economic impact on the cotton industry. The speaker concludes by reiterating the fundamental human right to pursue happiness and implores the audience to support this right, suggesting that doing so may lead to personal happiness as well.