The much needed trafficking deterrence and victims support act (S. 2925) is to be considered today by the Senate Judiciary Committee. The goal of this bill is to provide funding to local police forces and other agencies to pay for training. StreetGRACE, a Metro-Atlanta based non-profit, notes, "Fighting this crime and rescuing its victims requires specialized resources, including law enforcement training, social services, and treatment for its victims." Most agencies, however, do not have such training and therefore are not equipped to protect the victims of this heinous crime.
For instance, under current law, if a minor who has been forced into prostitution goes to the police to turn in their pimp, they must be arrested and charged with prostitution. Instead there ought to be some way to place them in protective custody to protect them from being drawn back into the network of trafficking. They do not need to be treated as if they too are law-breakers.
Our current manner of dealing with this problem simply does not work. According to the Not For Sale Campaign's SlaveryMap, the more rural an incident, the more likely it is that the victims will not be emancipated. There are stories of trafficked persons being arrested then their bail being paid by their pimps, only to have them lost back into the shadows.
Atlanta is considered to be a hot spot for human trafficking, but there is hope. With more well-crafted laws we can punish the traffickers without further punishing their victims. The solution, however, does not rest solely on law enforcement. These children, once liberated, need safe places to go to. Will your church consider being such a place? Follow the links below to find out ways to become involved. Also, contact our senators Johnny Isakson and Saxby Chambliss, urging them to support this bill.
Comments
I was attracted by your picture of Mr. Wyden. Coming from the Pacific NW, he's well known up here.
But there's an irony to this story.
Ron Wyden has accepted money from the Israeli lobby (over $150,000) as many of our politicians have. They all need to be fired.
opednews.com/articles/Time-to-Look-at-AIPAC-Cont-by-Ralph-Lopez-100603-774.html
Israel is a well known source of human trafficking. It supplies their billion dollar sex industry with young and often underage girls brought in from the Ukraine and other poor former Soviet states.
Israel is a spiritual fake. Founded by Jewish supremacists.
As Christians, you're going to have a hard time with this info, but you NEED to know. Because most of you are being manipulated because of your religious beliefs.
Mostly in an attempt to keep US aid flowing to this racist, apartheid society. Which by the way, is why we have Islamic terrorists in our hair today.
The more you know...
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Law-enforcement training, social services, and treatment for victims rather than prosecution are all key elements of an overall plan for dealing with Human Trafficking, including forced prostitution. But most of all, let's not forget to include awareness-raising in the legislation. Raising awareness should be the number 1 priority. Young people who are aware of the dangers will be more cautious and are less likely to put themselves at risk. Perhaps something can be done in the school curricula to help. - Prof Patt, gvnet.com/humantrafficking/
How sad it is that xenon is so blinded by hatred that he feels compelled to post anti-Israel comments on a local news story about local legislation.
Prof Patt. Thanks for the comment. You have a great point. Education should definitely be priority, both to children to try to help them avoid such risky situations and to adults to help them understand the ins and outs of what is going on so that they can be advocates. Great insight!
Great article and great discussion. S2925 is vital to ending human trafficking. Senator Wyden did great work shepherding it through the Judiciary Committee, but the fight's not over yet. Please consider letting Senator Wyden know how much we all appreciate his help, and letting your own representatives know how important this issue is: [search "2925 senator wyden" for the tell-a-friend page]
As a former Senatorial intern, I believe that, more than money from any lobby, Congress-people care about what constituents say. It is not the only factor in their decisions, but a phone call really did count. Thanks!
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