Ashton Kutcher Spoke With Passion To Fight Human Trafficking
Aston Kutcher is an advocate to end human trafficking. The “Punk’d” actor testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a hearing on progress in combating modern slavery.
Speaking with conviction and commitment, the actor shared the unique advocacy and efforts of Thorn: Digital Defenders of Children, an organization he co-founded with former wife Demi Moore in 2009 that builds software to fight human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
The actor highlighted in his testimony his hectic schedule as chairman of Thorn and as father to his two children. Amid juggling these commitments, he is sticking to it as part of his mission to protect the right to pursue happiness.
Ashton Kutchner testified at a Senate Foreign Relations Committee, examining “Ending Modern Slavery: Building on Success,” on Capitol Hill on February 15, 2017 in Washington, DC.
Ashton Kutcher’s Emotional Testimony
Kutcher’s testimony in Capitol Hill is all over the net now. The 15-minute opening testimony has drawn admiration from people and support around the world particularly as he recalled his work with victims
“As part of my anti-trafficking work, I’ve met victims in Russia, I’ve met victims in India, I’ve met victims that have been trafficked from Mexico, victims from New York and New Jersey and all across our country. I’ve been on FBI raids where I’ve seen things that no person should ever see,” Kutcher said.
With cracking voice, the actor recalled a video of young girl molested by a sex tourist in Cambodia.
He said, “I’ve seen video content of a child that’s the same age as mine being raped by an American man that was a sex tourist in Cambodia. And this child was so conditioned by her environment that she thought she was engaging in play.”
Kutcher’s Work is Inspirational
Kutcher’s work on the fight against modern slavery was hailed by Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker and some politicians.
Committee Chairman Sen. Bob Corker called Kutcher’s work “inspirational” and “a true testament to entrepreneurialism and people taking a risk toward social good.”
Corker, his fellow committee members, including Sens. Tim Kaine and Marco Rubio, and Kutcher all wore red X pins, a symbol calling awareness to the issue of modern slavery.
In addition, Corker tweeted, “Thankful for Ashton Kutcher and the work @thorn is doing to rescue trafficking victims. It was great to have him on the Hill today.”
Progress of Thorn
In his testimony on Capitol Hill, Kutcher pressed the importance of using technology as a tool that can be used to disable slavery. He also cited the efficacy of Thorn in tracking trafficking victims.
“It’s working. In six months, with 25% of our users reporting, we’ve identified over 6,000 trafficking victims, 2,000 of which are minors. This tool has enhanced 4,000 law enforcement officials in 900 agencies. And we’re reducing the investigation time by 60%,” he said of a software tool called “Spotlight.”
