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TV AND FILM actor Ashton Kutcher was close to tears this week as he urged US lawmakers to support efforts aimed at bringing an end to child sexual exploitation.
Kutcher was speaking at a US senate hearing on Wednesday in his role as co-founder and chairman of Thorn – a company that develops software to help locate victims of abuse.
The 39-year-old gave an emotional speech to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about the plight of people who suffer from sexual exploitation.
“The right to pursue happiness for so many is stripped away, it’s raped, it’s abused, it’s taken by force,” he said.
The star of Two and a Half Men recounted the stories of people who have suffered at the hands of traffickers
“I’ve been on FBI raids where I’ve seen things that no person should ever see,” he said.
He pointed to tools created by Thorn that have helped victims in the past.
He said that one piece of software – called Spotlight – had helped to identify over 16,000 trafficking victims, 2,000 of whom were minors.
He told the Ending Modern Slavery hearing that he and his organisation had responded to a need and developed the technology to help victims of trafficking.
Kutcher described being asked for help from the Department of Homeland Security in helping to locate victims and perpetrators of sexual exploitation.
“We were their last line of his defence,” he said.
“An actor and his foundation were the potential last line of defence.
That’s my day job – and I’m sticking to it.
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Has the Cookie Monster been in the cookie jar again ?
Very odd timing. They withdraw their support of this project not long after the sentencing of the doctor who helped locate Bin Laden. I’m not making accusations but it is funny.
But the accusations above that this money will be pumped into drones is ludicrous.
Great. Now they’ll redirect the $20m into more drones to attack the Pakistani population.
There’s hardly a peek about Americas secret war against Pakistan and the amount of civilians they’ve killed in comparison to
the coverage on Syria.
Don’t be a muppet
Think you may find that the drones you are referring to cost considerably more that $20 million.
Not true Derek. Guardian have been reporting the last few days on the increase of drone attacks in Pakistan and how they are blowing up *suspected* militants and everyone within a 100yd radius and then blowing up the funerals of the victims just in case their sons and daughters should harbour any resentment. Me suspects this tactic ain’t gonna work on the war on terror but if it does the guy who ordered it should get a Nobel peace prize. Oh wait…..
This episode was brought to you by the letters “U…S…A” and the numbers 9/11! you have gotta wonder is their “Oscar” an old green grouch or….a child who lives in a landfill and collects scrap for pennies?
Can you tell me how to get, how to get to Jihad Street…
Which if these kids is doing their own thing. 3 kids skipping, 1 with a bag pack.
I’m sure most US taxpayers will be disgusted the way their tax dollars are being wasted. PS Drone on, they’re killing a lot of VERY bad people with them so they then can’t kill us.
Kermit the pakki frog just does not sound or look right
Just ask the count, he’ll tell ye…
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