We need to hold the Senate to its courageous promise. More U-visas for the criminally abused will mean more liberty, equality, and freedom from injustice for all.

The idea of creating safe homes in the U.S. that provide whole-person restorative care for adult trafficking survivors is surprisingly new, so there's no proven blueprint for how to do it.

In our experience, abject poverty is a common factor for victims of human trafficking.

In October 2006, a timid young woman in a bright blue sari named Kumkum Chettry, got up before a parliament committee in India, and described being kicked, punched, abused and raped repeatedly.

Catalyst Foundation has had amazing volunteers since July 1999. We have enlisted the help of hundreds of people from around the globe -- ones that found us during a random Internet searches, families that have adopted from Vietnam, young Vietnamese American college and high school students, war veterans, teachers and friends.

For six months I traveled through Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Indonesia and Nepal. I was curious about what it was like to be a woman in all of these places. I began to realize how deeply rooted these gender issues are.

Human trafficking and slavery is in all of our backyards. It exists in nearly every country on earth and is a $32 billion industry. Technology can also be a powerful force to stop traffickers and help victims of this abuse find help. But there is still more we can do.

I do expect all humans to have the same blessings that we all have. I do believe all young girls should be given a chance at dignity. I do work tirelessly so parents are given a chance to care for their family.

In the red light area, children's access to mainstream education, health and protection services are often blocked due to stigma.

Every year, against their will, scared, alone and traumatized, 2 million children are forced to have sex. What if those being held as modern-day slaves could harness accessible technology to flip the script?

Standards are in place to end violence and discrimination against women and girls. Governments must not be allowed to backtrack on their pledges.

Sometimes it's hard to imagine this thing we used to call "shame." In the era of reality TV and YouTube, where almost anything goes, shame seems like a social anachronism.