October 30, 2009

Rhode Island: Ask the Governor to sign the Human Trafficking Bill!

The Rhode Island legislature recently passed a strong new law against human trafficking by an overwhelming margin.  This law was tenaciously supported by important organizations in Rhode Island like the Rhode Island Coalition Against Human Trafficking (RICAHT), the Rhode Island Commission on Women and Day One and by Polaris Project.  It improves on the law first passed in 2007 by:

• Recognizing forced labor as a crime
• Recognizing that minors are unable to consent to their own commercial sexual exploitation
• Increasing penalties for certain traffickers, and
• Significantly, creating state infrastructure to bring together law enforcement and service organizations to collaborate on further recommendation to address this brutal but often hidden crime.

Labor trafficking is an extreme form of exploitation that until now has not been specifically criminalized under the state’s law.  As a result, there are too few efforts to proactively investigate whether it is occurring in Rhode Island.  The most extreme form of abuse in prostitution is sex trafficking – when pimps, brothel keepers or others use force, fraud or coercion to force women into the sex trade, or whenever they engage children in prostitution.  These forms of human trafficking exist even in Rhode Island, and both foreign nationals and U.S. citizens are its victims. 

The final step to improving the State’s law is for the governor to sign the final versions of H 5661 and S 605.  This legislation, sponsored by Representative Joanne Giannani and Senator Rhoda Perry, will dramatically improve the state’s approach to stopping human trafficking.

In order to ensure final enactment and, crucially, effective enforcement of this new law, the governor must hear from you! 



WHAT YOU CAN DO:

Your voice in support of these bills is incredibly important.  The governor needs to hear that H 5661 and S 605, human trafficking legislation, must be enacted.  Once they are signed, they must be proactively enforced.

1. Please contact Governor Carcieri and urge him to sign H 5661 and S 605, legislation to address human trafficking. 
2. When calling you can simply say: 



“Hi, my name is [Name], and I live at (provide your FULL address). I am calling to urge the Governor to sign H 5661/S 605 – the comprehensive legislation that addresses human trafficking. It will improve the law dealing with child sex trafficking and labor trafficking.  The governor should also ensure the new task force created by this law is more than just a talk shop.  The task force should create investigation protocols for police whenever they respond to high-risk situations like runaway and homeless youth and prostitution, and whenever they identify labor or sex trafficking.  This will ensure that the police response is victim-centered.  Can I count on the governor’s support?”


Sample text for your email:

Subject:  Please Sign H 5661 and S 605 to address human trafficking



Dear Governor Carcieri, 



Human trafficking is the modern day practice of slavery and it is the fastest growing criminal industry in the world.   Every year traffickers generate billions of dollars through forced or coerced labor or commercial sexual exploitation.



While there is a groundswell of support and action underway to end human trafficking across the United States, current Rhode Island law is weak.  It fails altogether to criminalize labor trafficking. Current Rhode Island law also punishes the sex trafficking of children only if proof is offered that the trafficker used force or coercion to exploit the child in prostitution – failing to recognize that a child is legally unable to consent to commercial sexual exploitation. With an estimated 200,000 children in the US at risk for sex trafficking and exploitation, we can do better!



Once enacted, please ensure that the newly created task force takes strong action.  Police need the tools to identify the hidden victims of human trafficking.  Many other states have been slow to enforce their new laws.  The new task force must take on the responsibility of creating enforcement protocols that assist police in the most effective and victim-centered methods of proactively investigating these cases and interacting with victims once they are identified. 

Please sign and support the effective enforcement of this legislation.  



Thank you for your time and consideration,  
 



Talking Points:



H 5661 and S 605, introduced by Representative Joanne Giannini and Senator Rhoda Perry, respectively, will improve the state’s comprehensive approach to addressing human trafficking.

• On Minors:  RI law lags behind federal law by only convicting traffickers who sex traffic children if some form of force or coercion is proven.  This requirement fails to recognize that minors are unable to consent to their own sexual exploitation and abuse, and is inconsistent with federal law and with other state definitions of sex trafficking.  The new law addresses this problem by removing the element of force, fraud or coercion.
• 

On Penalties:  Current fines for sex trafficking of minors are inadequate and do not match the seriousness of the crime.  H 5661 and S 605 increase penalties for the sex trafficking of minors.


• On Labor Trafficking:  This law expands the crime of “trafficking of persons” to also cover labor trafficking.
• On Law Enforcement Tools:  This law creates a human trafficking task force bringing together law enforcement and human trafficking experts.  The task force should create protocols for law enforcement to correctly identify human trafficking victims and perpetrators. 

Thank you for taking action today to help end human trafficking in Rhode Island!