Human trafficking is difficult to discuss and harder to combat. Traffickers prey on the vulnerabilities of teenagers, some as young as 12, who run away from home and are targeted, picked up and then sold into the commercial sex trade.
Other victims are deceived, threatened and intimidated into this form of human slavery.
Human trafficking is tied as the second-largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, just behind the drug trade. This is all driven by the demand for purchased sex and the cultural attitude that for far too long has considered solicitation and prostitution as minor crimes to be tolerated or penalized with only a slap on the wrist. Such offenses are typically charged as misdemeanors, sending a societal message that these are “victimless” crimes.
But commercial sex is far from a victimless crime. The average age of death for those used in commercial sex is 34 and the …show more content…
I am committed to ensuring Indiana has the toughest laws against human trafficking in the nation and the best network to provide support for victims.
As the Indiana Attorney General, I serve as co-chair of the Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans Task Force. Indiana has come a long way in recent years to raise awareness and address the horror of human trafficking, particularly in the days leading up the Super Bowl held in Indianapolis in February 2012.
To offset the expected influx of commercial sex during one of the country’s largest sporting events that brought thousands of out-of-town visitors to our city, we tightened the state law against human trafficking, launched a public awareness campaign and trained thousands of law enforcement officials, hotel staff and others to identify the crime. We’ve continued the positive momentum, but the harder part lies ahead: changing the attitudes and perceptions people have about commercial
Other victims are deceived, threatened and intimidated into this form of human slavery.
Human trafficking is tied as the second-largest and fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, just behind the drug trade. This is all driven by the demand for purchased sex and the cultural attitude that for far too long has considered solicitation and prostitution as minor crimes to be tolerated or penalized with only a slap on the wrist. Such offenses are typically charged as misdemeanors, sending a societal message that these are “victimless” crimes.
But commercial sex is far from a victimless crime. The average age of death for those used in commercial sex is 34 and the …show more content…
I am committed to ensuring Indiana has the toughest laws against human trafficking in the nation and the best network to provide support for victims.
As the Indiana Attorney General, I serve as co-chair of the Indiana Protection for Abused and Trafficked Humans Task Force. Indiana has come a long way in recent years to raise awareness and address the horror of human trafficking, particularly in the days leading up the Super Bowl held in Indianapolis in February 2012.
To offset the expected influx of commercial sex during one of the country’s largest sporting events that brought thousands of out-of-town visitors to our city, we tightened the state law against human trafficking, launched a public awareness campaign and trained thousands of law enforcement officials, hotel staff and others to identify the crime. We’ve continued the positive momentum, but the harder part lies ahead: changing the attitudes and perceptions people have about commercial