Starting last Wednesday, anyone found guilty of human trafficking in Texas will find themselves facing harsher penalties. Senator Leticia Van de Putte wrote the bill that makes it a felony to force children into prostitution, extends the statute of limitations for trafficking crimes and requires anyone convicted of sex trafficking to register as a sex offender. Also anyone who is a repeat offender gets an automatic life sentence. The bill also puts sex trafficking and labor trafficking into two spate categories. Senator Leticia and advocators of harsher penalties call human trafficking modern-day slavery. It mostly effects kids and women who have ran away or been promised better opportunites. This past year, Texas has rescued over 100 children that were trafficked. The bill was all but certain to pass with widespread support in the Senate. Prosecutors, religious organizations, Gov. Rick Perry and state Attorney General Greg Abbott also have endorsed the bill. They say that tougher penalties have been a long time coming and progress on an issue that’s been on the forefront. The bill also draws up plans for a Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force, it would be a 47-member task force developing procedures to prevent human trafficking crimes and toughen prosecution. Texas would be an optimum place to have a human trafficking ring since it’s right next door to Mexico. Kids that have run away and women who are in bad situations of life can easily be influenced to trust strangers. From Mexico, women would agree to cross the border with the idea they’ll be getting a cleaning or nanny job. In the USA, most runaways head south where it’s warmer so they are easy prey since they’ve already left their homes. Harsher penalties and a special task force probably won’t eliminate the practice but every effort is needed.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/7487980.html
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