Legislators to push for tougher human-trafficking laws in state

— Arkansas should toughen its human-trafficking laws and provide more services for victims, a group of lawmakers said Friday.

The handful of Democrats and Republicans at a Capitol news conference said that they plan to file at least three bills dealing with aspects of human trafficking, which includes slavery and forced prostitution.

The 2013 legislative session begins Monday.

The Polaris Project in 2012identified Arkansas as one of four “states [that] have not made nominal efforts to enact a basic legal framework to combat human trafficking.”

The ranking, which came out in August, said Arkansas is behind other states when it comes to training law enforcement about trafficking, protecting sex-trafficked minors and providing victim assistance.

The other states faulted by the project are Montana, South Dakota and Wyoming. The state rankings are online at PolarisProject.org/2012StateRatings.

The Polaris Project is an advocacy group in Washington, D.C.

House Democratic leader Greg Leding of Fayetteville said people assume that sex or labor trafficking doesn’t take place in the state.

“It’s a real problem. It does happen here in Arkansas,” Leding said. “We need to give ourselves the legal framework to tackle this problem.”

The Polaris Project website shows its hot line has received 225 calls from Arkansas since December 2007.

The hot line number is (888) 373-7888. Reports can also be made online at polarisproject.org

Leding said details are still being worked on and bills should be filed in the first few weeks of the session.

Rep. David Meeks, R-Conway, said one of the bills would increase the penalty for human trafficking to a Class Y felony, which is punishable by at least 10 years in prison.

Human trafficking is currently a Class A felony.

The code defines trafficking as recruiting, harboring or obtaining a person for labor through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, slavery,marriage, adoption or sexual conduct.

A Class A felony is punishable by up to 30 years in prison and up to $15,000 in fines.

No one has been charged under the statute since it was enacted in January 2005, the Administrative Office of the Courts has said.

Meeks has pushed for awareness of the issue over the past year, which included a human-trafficking meeting in June. Meeks and other lawmakers said they also are considering legislation that would grant victims of human trafficking immunity from prosecution, give the attorney general the option to create a trafficking-prevention task force, use court fines to pay restitution for victims and clear the convictions of past victims who were prosecuted for prostitution or other crimes.

The group PATH, which stands for Partners Against Trafficking Humans, has created a safe house to help trafficking victims recover. It plans to add a second location, the group’s founder, Louise Allison, said.

“It’s time to pay attention to the weakness of our law,” she said.

Sen. Joyce Elliott, D-Little Rock, said she wants to file legislation to create more such homes in Arkansas.

Elliott sponsored Arkansas’ first human-trafficking law in 2005. She said it was difficult to get anyone to take her seriously at the time, but increased awareness now should make the 2013 attempt to pass legislation easier.

Arkansas, Pages 9 on 01/12/2013

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