On Tuesday the House Health and Human Services Committee received a briefing on human trafficking. This issue has been receiving more attention after Kansas received poor grades last year from organizations who monitor human trafficking around the country.Committee members heard from the Sedgwick County District Attorney’s office as well as members of organizations that provide assistance to human trafficking victims. Presenters suggested that the current laws should be strengthened to include criminal penalties for “facilitators” of trafficking, i.e., those who do not engage in sexual activity with the victims or get any direct monetary benefit from a trafficking but nonetheless assist the trafficking.
Lawmakers were also encouraged to increase penalties for those who purchase prostitutes. This crime is currently classified as a class C misdemeanor, providing a punishment similar to littering violations. Proponents argued that increasing penalties for patronizing prostitutes would reduce demand for human traffickers.
A few recent cases of human trafficking in Sedgwick County were presented. Prosecutors explained the challenges in pursuing trafficking cases when the victims are uncooperative, and the difficult situation they face when having to punish the prostitute even when she is technically a victim. Presenters suggested that juvenile detention often presents the best chance to get victims out of the trafficking business for good, but that state laws should be balance to allow prosecutors greater ability to pursue the traffickers who are the real source of the crime.
