New York Senator Alessandra Biaggi noted that “human-traffickers rely heavily on public transportation to move their victims, in plain sight, across the country.” In his veto memo, Cuomo noted that the New York Interagency Task Force Against Human Trafficking already offers a training that “meets the minimum requirements” outlined in Biaggi’s bill.
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Weeks after a human trafficking sting netted more than 100 arrests in Hillsborough County, FL. commissioners took a step Wednesday to eradicate forced labor, domestic servitude and sexual exploitation within its borders.
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The U.S. State Department has awarded $15.75 million to the University of Georgia to conduct research and find ways to reduce human trafficking around the world, the school announced Tuesday.
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Radisson Hotel Group announced a partnership with ECPAT-USA, a policy organization seeking to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children, and has become the latest hospitality company to sign the organization’s Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct, joining several hotel, airline and travel management companies.
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A bill that would decriminalize the selling and buying of sex in the nation’s capital will NOT move forward this year, lawmakers said, after an emotional hearing and thousands of emails revealed deep divisions among D.C. residents. Similar proposals in New York and Massachusetts, among other states, have also failed to gain ground.
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The Senate Education Committee unanimously passed the bill on Tuesday. The curriculum would be part of public schools’ health education and would focus on how to recognize and understand human trafficking.
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Ohio lawmakers proposed a bill to create a public registry that will include the names of people who are convicted of buying sexual services. The bill’s goal is to increase penalties for johns and pimps.
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The Super Bowl host committee is teaming up with state, local and federal agencies to stop human trafficking at the big game. An event known to contribute to an increase in sex trafficking.
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U.S. District Judge Miranda Du in Reno, NV, said in her ruling “that plaintiffs were unlawfully forced into prostitution and sex trafficked in Nevada and other states is not sufficiently traceable to Nevada laws … as opposed to other factors, namely the illicit behaviors of private bad actors.”
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Massachusetts has received a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Justice to address human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation.
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The Center for Prevention of Abuse announced in a Monday news release that the organization will expand its human trafficking prevention education curriculum in area IL high schools.
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“The real issue lies in demand for sex with young people, with millions of Americans seeking out and purchasing sex with our most vulnerable citizens. As more and more buyers enter the market, sex trafficking of vulnerable youth will increase exponentially because of the statutory protections afforded by legalized prostitution.” writes Kevin Malone, President of the U.S. Institute Against Human Trafficking.
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The General Assembly signed off on a new state job this year to evaluate and coordinate efforts to report these crimes and to educate others on how to spot cases to help survivors.
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Dane County, WI Executive Joe Parisi announced that he’s including $80,000 in his 2020 budge to create a new position for Project Respect, a program that helps juvenile and adult survivors of trafficking.
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The bill at the center of the hearing would amend existing city laws to eliminate criminal penalties for selling or buying sex in the District. If passed, it would make the District the only U.S. jurisdiction to legalize prostitution, outside of some areas of Nevada where legal brothels exist. Prostitution involving minors and coercing others to engage in sex work against their will would remain illegal.
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A diversion program for victims of human trafficking is spreading to cities around the country. The model has roots in Columbus, Ohio, where a judge decided to direct women toward rehabilitation instead of jail.
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State leaders, law enforcement and experts in the field of trafficking joined survivors at the Human Trafficking Summit Monday in Orlando. Speaking at the summit, Governor Ron DeSantis said ending sex trafficking begins with prosecuting traffickers and clients.
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News that Epstein, a billionaire who made his money as a financier, used Teterboro as home base for his fleet of private planes, and that he allegedly trafficked underage girls through the airport, was first reported last week by NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY NETWORK.
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Attorney General Ashley Moody held a meeting Wednesday with the Statewide Council on Human trafficking in Tampa. Hillsborough County Sheriff Chronister and Pasco County Sheriff Nocco spoke to address the Super Bowl being held in Tampa in 2021.
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Alexander Acosta, the US labor secretary under fire for having granted Jeffrey Epstein immunity from federal prosecution in 2008, after the billionaire was investigated for having run a child sex trafficking ring, is proposing 80% funding cuts for the government agency that combats child sex trafficking.
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Democratic Hawaii Gov. David Ige signed the legislation, which passed unanimously in the House and Senate, that rids victims of sex trafficking — even those who cannot prove they were trafficked — from prostitution convictions, so as long as they are not convicted of other crimes for three years, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.
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Victims of human trafficking and other workplace crimes will have a tougher time getting visas certified by the Labor Department under a policy issued July 1.
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As the legislative session comes to a close, New York state lawmakers have yet to vote on a bill that could protect survivors of human trafficking from deportation by vacating their criminal records.
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The judgment means Backpage.com, LLC, Website Technologies, LLC, Posting Solutions, LLC, and Amstel River Holdings, LLC will have their certificates of formation cancelled 31 days after the current federal criminal charges against the company are resolved.
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“Our budget also prioritizes human trafficking— a form of modern-day slavery that has no place in Texas.” says, Texas State Senator Jane Nelson.
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The challenge of eradicating the forced sex work industry in a city that is already a major hub for human trafficking has turned political in Queens, NY.
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State lawmakers are pushing a bill that would create a public database, similar to the state’s registry of sex offenders, that would list the names, photographs and addresses of pimps and johns who are convicted.
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“We cannot turn a blind eye to human trafficking. My bill is a commonsense solution to hold countries accountable. Understanding where this money comes from and where it’s going gives countries the ability to crack down on these crimes.
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ICE says there were 849 human trafficking investigations in 2018, they say there were 1,500 arrests and 538 convictions and the agency wants people partaking in big events to be on the lookout for possible victims.
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“We are excited to build this Human Trafficking Unit with dedicated staff who will work every day to protect our state’s most vulnerable and put buyers and traffickers behind bars,” Attorney General Chris Carr said in a statement.
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Laws cracking down on human trafficking are on the books in all 50 states, but convictions are notoriously elusive, and state prosecutors haven’t come close to matching the success their federal counterparts have had in winning cases.
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As part of the operation, law enforcement teams engaged with more than 15 potential human trafficking victims and gathered intelligence on potential traffickers.
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Members of the task force will work collectively to improve upon the detection, investigation, prosecution, and victim assistance efforts in human trafficking matters throughout the Tampa Bay area.
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Gov. Ron DeSantis could soon sign legislation that creates a statewide registry for pimps and johns in an effort to crack down on human trafficking. But Florida officials are not stopping there.
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“As I always say, every issue does not necessarily need a law if people are willing to take on these issues voluntarily,” Attorney General Ashley Moody, who chairs the statewide Council on Human Trafficking, said Friday during a meeting of the panel.
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Traffickers who sell women and children for sex in Nebraska could have their phones tapped by law enforcement and face prosecution years or even decades after their crimes under a sweeping new bill set for legislative debate.
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Survivor-run groups that combat human trafficking need more support from the US Government so they can operate on a level playing field with larger agencies, an advisory council said last week.
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A Tuscon, AZ. man who was a high school volleyball coach will avoid jail time after having been convicted of having sex with one of his players. The roommate of Robert Forman II roommate became suspicious that she might be an underage student player as well as the victim’s parents then saw their daughter leaving Forman’s house.
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The posters are required to be placed in or near bathrooms in hotels, airports, train and bus stations, urgent care centers, emergency rooms, strip clubs, women’s health centers, abortion facilities, family planning clinics, truck stops, roadside rest areas and more.
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Strip clubs will be classified as adult theaters to ensure they’ll be regulated by the state under a legislative crackdown aimed at preventing human trafficking. Bill classifies strip clubs as adult theater so state can regulate them, protect childrenStuart Rep. Toby Overdorf co-sponsored House Bill 851 and added the adult-theater classification, in part to ensure strip club owners don’t hire underage employees.
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The vote was 112-0 Thursday for the bill sponsored by Democratic Rep. Patricia Williams of Fort Lauderdale and Republican Rep. Rene Plasencia of Titusville, FL. The measure would include human trafficking in the health classes currently taught in Florida public schools.
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These criminal records can include prostitution charges from police that didn’t understand their situation or arrests for thefts that their traffickers demanded using coercion and control tactics.
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“The support of my administration and the strength of the Heart of Texas Human Trafficking Coalition is having an impact, not only in Central Texas, but throughout the state,” Det. Joseph Scaramucci told KWTX.
Scaramucci was the keynote speaker at the fundraising luncheon at the Austin Country Club in Austin, TX. Within one hour, the event raised more than $300,000.
Human trafficking cases initiated in fed court dropped 29% last yr. This survivor has a message for people who think it’s not happening here: “I was trafficked in Jacksonville in the year 2013 for about nine months… It’s definitely happening in Jacksonville.” said Jenna Bourne
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When state Rep. Vincent Pedone, D-Worcester, stepped up to Statehouse podium in 2006 to call for the regulation of massage therapy, he was quickly met by laughter and catcalls that filled the chamber and cut him short. The bill that passed that day — despite lawmakers’ laughter, but policymakers and society still don’t take massage, and the human traffickers who increasingly hide behind it, seriously.
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Nevada lawmakers are considering a bill that takes the first step toward treating survivors of child sex exploitation as victims, not criminals. Assembly Bill 151 ensures Nevada’s compliance with federal law requiring states to tweak their child abuse and neglect statutes to include sex trafficking.
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Unlike the portrayals popularized by Liam Neeson’s 2008 film thriller, human trafficking victims are rarely snatched during vacation getaways or from coffee shops, and they are rarely sympathetic characters with squeaky clean backgrounds, Libby Coles, chairwoman of the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission.
Read More“They answer misleading ads for “massage” work, are forced to live in substandard conditions, work illegal hours “on call,” and made to feel through fear and violence that they have no choice but to comply, says Rep. Yvonne Lopez of New Jersey.
Read More![‘[Go] after the buyers’: Senate panel hears fixes for human trafficking](https://floridapolitics.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/human-trafficking-2.jpg)
Punish buyers. Provide services to victims. Raise awareness at sites where human trafficking takes place the most. Those were the top-line recommendations Monday as the Senate Children, Families and Elder Affairs Committee heard testimony from experts on the issue.
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The state of Nevada’s Senate Bill 7, if adopted, would additionally provide that a customer who violates such a prohibition by knowingly soliciting a child who is less than 14 years of age for prostitution is committing a sex trafficking crime, and therefore is guilty of a Category A Felony, life in prison with possible parole after 15 years.
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This bill would set harsher penalties for prostitution-related crimes involving minors unanimously passed the House. “Now we are going after those who are customers,” Watts said.
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The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce will host the human trafficking summit at 11:30 a.m. on Feb. 18 in the Centre Club, 123 S Westshore Blvd. Tampa, FL.
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Under House Bill 397, which is a safe harbor law sponsored by Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, R-Arnold, those who were under the age of 18 when convicted of prostitution could apply to court for a clean slate. Under the current law, defendants have to prove they were coerced into prostitution.
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The Republican leader of the Mississippi House is pushing a bill that he says could protect children who are victims of sex trafficking. House Bill 571 would prevent charges from being filed against trafficking victims who are younger than 18. The minor would be taken into protective custody and counseling would be provided.
Read MoreCOMMITTED TO ERADICATING HUMAN TRAFFICKING: President Trump has signed four bills in recent weeks that demonstrate the bipartisan commitment to end human trafficking. oday, the President is signing the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (S. 1862) which tightens criteria for whether countries are meeting standards for eliminating trafficking.
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After 15 years in prison, Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam has granted full clemency to Cyntoia Brown.
Brown, a sex trafficking victim serving a life sentence for the 2004 murder of a man who payed her to have sex as a child. Cyntoia was 16 years old when she shot and killed the 43 year old man.
NASHVILLE — U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker, R-Tenn., said Friday that a colleague, Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, will now lead congressional efforts to end modern slavery across the globe after the Chattanoogan leaves office next week.
“For years, Senator Portman has been a champion in Congress in the fight against human trafficking here at home, and I can think of no one better to take up the mantle in the global fight against this scourge on humanity as I depart the Senate,” Corker stated Friday in a news release.
Read MoreVictims of sex trafficking — a $99 million criminal enterprise in Dallas, TX. each year alone — are penalized by our criminal justice system and our society for sexual acts they are forced into by traffickers who are essentially modern-day slave owners.
Read Moretate Rep. Jon Hardister is drafting legislation for introduction in 2019 that’s meant to help prevent school-age children from falling victim to human trafficking – a problem Hardister and an increasing number of others say is a fast growing threat in North Carolina. Thirty-five states have adopted some form of “Erin’s Law,” which requires schools to teach a prevention-oriented program on sexual abuse and trafficking.
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Tennessee Governor Haslam was speaking at an event when Justin Lang, a higher-education professional stepped up to the mic during the audience question portion. “As a victim of sex trafficking and assault, this is an unjust sentence in the first place,” Lang said. Under Tennessee law, all minors engaged in sex work are legally considered victims of sex trafficking. “She has not been treated as a victim of trafficking and not given the justice she deserves.”
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A bill that would seek to amend state law involving obscenity, dealing with issues like revenge pornography and human trafficking, was the only bill filed Wednesday at the state capitol in Little Rock. A person found guilty could face up to a year in jail or a $500 fine, or both “for each prohibited image, video or audio depiction, or website found to be accessible at the time of the offense.”
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Another topic of discussion was human trafficking in the state of Kentucky.
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This is the kind of national response and furor we need to save the hundreds of thousands of children who are being sold for sex in this country every day.
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Research indicates a large share of sex and labor trafficking victims interact with a health care provider at some point while they are being exploited.
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The committee includes leaders of organizations that fight modern slavery, academics and representatives of the trucking, bus, rail, aviation, maritime and port industries.
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“We recently had a young lady who tried to escape from their trafficker and he sicked two pit bulls on her. They violently attacked her and left her for dead in the woods.”
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Human trafficking. Modern-day slavery. Human smuggling. Sex trafficking. These are all things that happen in faraway places and are not part of my world — or so I thought. During the 2018 election cycle, I was shocked to see candidates’ ads about stopping human trafficking in Atlanta. “Atlanta?!” I thought. Yes, Atlanta.
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Attorney Robert Poole pleaded not guilty Monday to 15 charges including human trafficking of a minor and rape. A police investigation into human trafficking charges against prominent conservative activist and former judge Tim Nolan led to a tip about Poole, said Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear Nov. 16 in a news release. The 50-year-old Poole was arrested Nov. 16 at his Erlanger law office. A Kenton County grand jury indicted Poole on sex crimes charges.
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A state mandate starting Thursday aims to end sex trafficking in Minnesota through the state’s hotel industry.
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The University of Texas at Tyler Associate Professor of Nursing, Dr. Cathy Miller, is using a $450,000 grant from the United States Department of Justice to support victims of human trafficking.
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It’s inside Smithfield High School teacher Matt Ployd’s government class where Monica’s Law came to life. Students knew they had an assignment coming up where they would have to make a mock bill to demonstrate they knew how a bill becomes law. But the students had a better idea.
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At a Wednesday press conference, Abbott appeared with leaders of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission to announce their partnership, which aims to stop labor and sex trafficking in bars and restaurants where alcohol is sold.
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Some community leaders in Kansas City are gathering information to help them develop strategies to fight prostitution and human trafficking, problems that have been with the city since its founding.
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–On Wednesday, the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office filed felony charges against Lucion Lee Edward Banks (35), for Human Trafficking and Pimping a 14-year-old female victim. The defendant is currently held at the San Luis Obispo County Jail with bail set at one million dollars.
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The U.S. is stepping up the fight against human trafficking until it can be stamped out “once and for all,” President Donald Trump said Thursday, calling for an end to “modern slavery.”
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A child in Pennsylvania can be married at any age, with parental consent or if a court decides marriage is in the child’s best interest. A child spouse, however, cannot file for divorce, sign binding contracts such as housing agreements, or take other legal action, because a child remains a minor under the law.
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A human trafficking survivor from Texas sued Facebook this week, alleging the social media platform provides human traffickers an unrestricted way to “stalk, exploit, recruit, groom … and extort children into the sex trade.”
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It was Desiree’s mother Yvonne Ambrose’s testimony to a Senate committee in September 2017 that marked a critical shift in the center of gravity in what had been a losing battle by anti-sex trafficking advocates to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (CDA).
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South Fulton is the first of 15 cities in Fulton County to make the human trafficking notice a municipal requirement for certain businesses, City Councilwoman Helen Z. Willis recently announced.
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Representatives from the Florida Restaurant & Lodging Association announced the launch of an online training course on human trafficking specifically designed to help restaurateurs and their employees.
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Michigan State Police struck down rumors of excessive human trafficking in metro Detroit on Monday after a viral post said it was happening “very aggressively in our area.”
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While virtually everyone harbors a vague distaste for human trafficking, few truly understand the full scope of the problem. Many also dismiss out of hand the possibility that they themselves could be affected directly.
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Calling Maryland a hotbed for human trafficking, Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced several initiatives to combat the problem plaguing the state.
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Congress in March passed a historic statute to combat sex trafficking. It incentivizes Internet companies to remove sex trafficking-related content, such as advertisements for escorts.
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The executive director of the Topeka Rescue Mission has orchestrated a plan to understand the extent of the sex marketplace in Shawnee County and hopes the effort will become a model for other communities. He joined other civic leaders and state officials Monday as they issued a plea for public awareness for the victims of human trafficking.
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The US Institute Against Human Trafficking announces a partnership with Pasco Sheriff’s Office, launching a new technology to catch online sex buyers.
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In an ongoing effort to combat a crime considered by law enforcement officials to be particularly malicious and pervasive, human trafficking, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation announced this week the 2018 anti-human trafficking public safety notice that businesses and other establishments across the state are now required to publicly display.
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The U.S. Department of State has released its 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report, an annual publication that provides a global overview of the nature and scope of trafficking in persons and various efforts underway to confront it. The report’s theme of “local solutions to a global problem” highlights the critical role of communities in recognizing and combating slavery.
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As the Department of State released its 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report this week, an apostolate which helps trafficking victims said that the practice remains a problem around the world, including in the U.S.
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In April, President Trump signed a set of bills into law that intends to prevent online sex trafficking by making websites responsible for prostitution ads posted by third parties.
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The General Assembly has approved a bill that would allow for human trafficking victims to have their criminal records expunged, creating a pathway for survivors to move forward without the burden of a record they did not deserve.
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Behind darkened doors, barred windows, or surveilled entrances, thousands of massage parlors hiding exploited sex workers are operating across the country. But lately, in some cities, more of the visitors knocking on their doors are inspectors.
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The website will provide a hub for services and resources for labor and sex trafficking victims.
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Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office has unveiled a new website to give people a lifeline – and a way out of human trafficking. The site was built in partnership with several agencies from King County and the state, and features downloadable resources, information, and a calendar of anti-trafficking events.
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State lawmakers on Wednesday finally passed a bill to toughen New York’s notoriously weak child sex trafficking laws.
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In recent months, the Department of Justice has stepped up its efforts to prosecute Americans who travel overseas to sexually abuse children.
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Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear has announced his support for 2019 legislation that requires Kentucky residents applying for a commercial drivers license to complete training on the prevention of human trafficking and carry information on how to both spot and report it.
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The International Air Transport Association (Iata) is continuing efforts to mobilise the global airline industry in the fight against human trafficking, the organisation said at its recent 74th annual general meeting in Sydney.
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Vermont’s attorney general and U.S. attorney announced an agreement Tuesday to implement a multi-disciplinary approach to fighting human trafficking in Vermont.
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A bill to protect and aid children who have been sexually exploited is making its way through the Pennsylvania Senate.
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