Gov. Bobby Jindal announced Jan. 26 at the “Criminal Hot Spot Initiative” news conference that legislation will be proposed in the upcoming legislative session to amend and expand human trafficking laws in Louisiana.
The proposed bill, which will be presented by Rep. Walt Leger III, D-New Orleans, will amend the state’s current human trafficking laws and expand the type of actions and criminals involved in this crime, according to a news release.
“This is a crime that exists all around the world, including Louisiana, which is typically underreported and difficult to detect,” Jindal said Jan. 26. “Human trafficking occurs when a person is recruited, transported or kidnapped to serve an exploitative purpose involving sexual offenses.”
Jindal said the state must make it clear it will not tolerate human trafficking.
“We are still drafting the legislation, but the statutes do not currently contemplate or criminalize a person that knowingly facilitates the crime of human trafficking,” Leger said. “These people are equally as culpable as the person actually doing the trafficking.”
Leger said the legislation, if approved, will equalize the punishment for the person who simply assists the trafficker and the punishment for the person who is engaged in human trafficking.
The bill will also expand to include the “advertising” of children for sexual exploitation, allowing offenders to be prosecuted for listing children and services on the Internet.
“The virtual world evolves quickly, and criminals use it to exploit our children any way they can,” Jindal said. “We must give law enforcement officials the tools they need to evolve along with technological advancement so we are stopping these crimes before they can even occur.”
Jennie Armstrong, mass communication senior and Tigers Against Trafficking spokeswoman, said this extra protective measure is admirable.
“They don’t want to wait until after it happens,” Armstrong said. “They are trying to prevent it before it starts.”
Armstrong said she agrees the people who knowingly use trafficking services should be punished along with the people who “kidnap” and “sell” humans.
“I’ve worked and followed it closely,” she said. “I knew it was only a matter of time before the laws were changed.”
Armstrong said she thinks the public will begin to see more about human trafficking.
“There is more pressure in the international community to follow a protocol,” she said. “Anyone can see it is gaining prominence as a social issue.”
According to the Polaris Project website, 27 million people worldwide are victims of modern-day slavery, more people than held captive at the height of the transatlantic slave trade.
“While many may think human trafficking is something that happens in distant places, the truth is it’s alive right here in Louisiana,” Leger said.
The Polaris Project, an organization devoted to combating human trafficking, reported all 50 states in the U.S. have had instances of human trafficking.
The statistics continue, but Leger said human trafficking should not.
“I applaud the governor for working with the Legislature to make our communities safer and bring more awareness to this issue,” he said. “I’ll work to make sure this bill becomes a law.”
 
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Contact Sydni Dunn at [email protected]