Legislators back proposals on human trafficking

Legislators backed proposals for greater education, training, and coordination among social-service providers and law enforcement agencies Wednesday morning.

The 19 proposals, submitted by the attorney general's 40-member Task Force for the Prevention of Human Trafficking back in August, also called for more funding, especially for services provided to victims, and would leave officials from the attorney general's office to coordinate trafficking calls with the appropriate law enforcement agencies.

In a joint hearing of the state House and Senate committees whose focus is children and youth, Sen. Bart Hester, R-Cave Springs, said that the Legislature should continue its efforts to strengthen state and local responses to an issue that experts say has been long-lasting but that has received heightened attention from lawmakers only in the past few years.

"We're talking about an education, find a way to educate the victims, finding a way to educate law enforcement, and even finding a way to educate johns about the crimes they're doing," Hester said. "The capital investment ... is so minor compared to the effect we could do for the victims [of human trafficking].

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The state Human Trafficking Act passed in 2013 made the trafficking of persons a Class A felony and the act of trafficking juveniles a Class Y felony.

It also made patronizing services of trafficked people, whether through labor or sexual services, a Class B felony, and in the case of minors, a Class A felony. The new law makes Arkansas one of the most proactive states in fighting human trafficking, according to the Polaris Project, a national group that follows human-trafficking legislation.

Prison sentences are six to 30 years for a Class A felony; five to 20 years for a Class B felony; and 10-40 years or life for a Class Y felony.

At Wednesday's hearing, legislators didn't object to a proposal for hires by the attorney general's office to fill two positions dedicated to monitoring calls related to human trafficking that come from the national Human Trafficking Resource Hotline.

They will relay that information to other law enforcement agencies and compile data about reports of human trafficking in Arkansas while also working to increase cooperation between crime-fighting agencies statewide.

Another proposal, one put forth by representatives of the state Department of Human Services, spoke of the need to fund a proposed "safe harbor" model, one run by the state agency, that would find area shelters and centers that could treat and house juvenile victims of human trafficking.

In Arkansas, minors who have been victimized into prostitution are arrested and held mainly because there's no established outlet or means for treating them, according to DHS officials.

"When law enforcement resorts to, unfortunately, charging a victim of a crime, it literally was so they would have somewhere to go that night to lay there head on a pillow," said task force member and Assistant Attorney General Will Jones. "[DHS] brought a great proposal to the table to make sure ... that wouldn't be something law enforcement would have to do."

The proposal, which would be funded in part by collecting fees assessed against human-trafficking violators, is projected to cost about $3.3 million annually.

Another proposal is to require restaurants, hotels, schools and state campgrounds and rest stops to post information about the human-trafficking hotline. Current law mandates that signs be posted at some large truck stops, bus stations, strip clubs and motels or hotels that have been cited for prostitution.

That idea faces opposition, according to commission members, who say state tourism officials worry that the signs might alarm visitors and leave people with the impression that Arkansas is a hotbed for human trafficking.

Rep. David Meeks, R-Conway, suggested that there be some flexibility in what words are used in the notice. Failure to display the notice currently results in a warning followed by a $500 fine for a second offense.

Both Meeks, who co-sponsored the 2013 law, and committee chairman Rep. Justin Harris, agreed that there should be more flexibility given to the owner of private properties if they are required to post signs for the hotline.

"But in a public area that shouldn't be an issue. I don't think you're setting a bad example if you're saying, 'If you're a victim of human trafficking, then call this number,'" said Harris, R-West Fork. "Post the number. It doesn't give Arkansas a bad image. It means we care about the victim."

Metro on 09/11/2014

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