The Indiana State legislature this week passed a law to better define, enforce, and close loopholes relating the human and sex trafficking. The law was passed and put into effect in time for the Super Bowl which is taking place on Sunday, February 5 in Indianapolis, Indiana. While the Super Bowl is the championship game for the NFL, and the most watched game on television during the year, it is also one of the largest human trafficking events of the year. Criminal organizations traffic large amounts of young women and children to the host city every year to exploit for sex. In 2010, an estimated ten thousand prostitutes were trafficked to Miami for the Super Bowl. The bill Indiana passed is intended to stop the large amount of human trafficking and prostitution that will come to the city. The law was signed by Governor Mitch Daniels and immediately went into effect. The new law extends the definition of sex slavery, human trafficking, and prostitution. It makes the penalties harsher, and makes it easier to prosecute the pimps, “Johns”, and traffickers. The law also sets up training programs for taxi drivers, hotel workers, and others to be able to spot and report human trafficking and prostitution.
The passage of this law is a huge step in stopping human trafficking and sex slavery. Most people are not aware that there is a huge sex trade going on during the Super Bowl. The passage of the law brings exposure and awareness to this horrible tragedy. While most people are not aware of the human trafficking going on in the country, Indiana is saying that they know, and they will not tolerate it in their state. They could have been like Florida, Texas, and the other recent hosts for the Super Bowl and turn a blind eye to the tragedy, but instead the took a stand and say that they want it to stop. They will be the standard for the future Super Bowl host cities to look at.
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/02/human-trafficking-law-passes-before-super-bowl/#content
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