Human Trafficking is a New Jersey Problem and Your Children are the Target
January was Human Trafficking Awareness Month. January has come and gone. The Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act has yet to get a hearing in committee. Why?
Deputy Speaker Assemblywomen Mila Jasey (D), Maplewood, NJ cosponsor of the Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act (HTCEPA) speaks during the Reception in support of the HTCEPA. The need is real.
Human Trafficking has surpassed the sale of illegal arms and is set to surpass the illegal sale of drugs. The FBI reports that human trafficking is on the rise in all 50 states and represents a multi-billion dollar criminal industry.
New Jersey is a “hub for human trafficking,” according to former assistant New Jersey Attorney General Tracy M. Thompson. “We are easily accessible via Interstate 95, and the proximity to major tourist destinations like Atlantic City and New York City makes us more vulnerable and susceptible,” she said. “Our diversity is what makes it so great to be part of this state, but traffickers prey on (people of) their own ethnicity. It makes it so hard for law enforcement to penetrate these activities.”
In September, 14 2017 people were arrested in a child-porn and human trafficking operation in Monmouth County. In October, the FBI announced that it had uncovered and arrested 42 child sex traffickers in New Jersey. The Star-Ledger reported that the 42 were arrested on charges that included sex trafficking, child exploitation and prostitution. A total of 84 children were rescued during the operation. At the beginning of December, 79 suspects were arrested on a host of charges that included sexual assault, using the Internet to send inappropriate images to children, and child pornography. January of 2018 people were arrested for soliciting sex with minors using gaming apps.
Why hasn’t the NJ General Assembly passed the Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act? We have more than enough cosponsors to pass in both chambers! NJ is the second state to introduce the HTCEPA.
Let us not be the last one to pass it! We can stop this and you can help. Please give your tax deductible deductible donation today!