Human Task Force

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Ms, Kuzma presented the Attorney General’s position on human trafficking. The AGs office defines sex and labor trafficking as when traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control other people for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex or forcing them to provide labor services against their will. The AGs office is very passionate about this issue and was an influential member of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) announced to focus of their efforts on ending human trafficking across the United States back in 2011. In the NAAGs efforts they created the Pillars of Hope:
• Pillar 1) Making the Case: Gather stat-specific data on human trafficking and create a database that assists local authorities with identifying human …show more content…

IPATH operate with the three principles of prevention, protection, and prosecution. The task force has seen significant increase in this with the increased outreach efforts around the state since its inception. The task force is mainly comprised of the following organizations: the AG and US Attorney’s Office (Northern and Southern Districts) serving as co-chairs, Indian State Police (ISP), Marion County Prosecutor’s office, the Indiana office of the FBI, Homeland Security, Department of Child Services (DCS), Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, and Prevent Child Abuse Indiana. IPATH originally had 4 subcommittees of focus: law enforcement, outreach/awareness, training, and victim services. They will now be adding an additional committee to focus upon legislation and policy. The AGs office did state that they will be asking the General Assembly to have members appointed to this …show more content…

Under the current Indiana Code (IC) 35-45-4-3 patronizing is a class A misdemeanor to a level 6 Felony (if they have 2 prior convictions) with no enhancements for engaging in prostitution with a minor. Many other states have jail time and increased penalties attributed to these crimes. The AGs office cited a study, Deconstructing the Demand for Prostitution: Preliminary Insights From Interviews with Chicago Men Who Purchase Sex, showing that to make men stop patronizing the sex trade. Of those surveyed in the study, 80% stated jail time would deter them, 75% state a letter sent to their family describing the crimes they committed or suspending their driver’s license or a general increase in penalties, and 70% stated that having their car impounded would deter them.

The AGs office believes that Indiana has to take these crimes seriously, currently Indiana is ranked 46th in the U.S. for criminal provisions addressing the demand of the sex trade industry. Indiana also does not have the Indiana Sex Offender Registry cover those who are involved with human trafficking involving minors. Bill Myles the CEO of Polaris a global anti-trafficking advocacy group stated, “If we’re serious about ending sex trafficking, it’s very clear that something needs to be done about the