Every time I look for a new story to post on, my mind actually plays a game with itself. My first thought is "ooh, am I going to be able to update the blog? Is there a current, relevant story on human trafficking that I can write a piece on?" My second thought is, "isn't that sad that I actually am hopeful that I will find a story on human trafficking?" However, I am always successful in finding a new story to base a post on - and to some degree, that's sad. It means that there is always a current event in the world of human trafficking - that doesn't nearly receive the coverage that it should. It requires a Google search to find, but it is still entirely current.
This post was no exception - I clicked on the "news" tab on Google after typing in "human trafficking" and sure enough, here was this story from a metropolitan area paper in Utah, the Salt Lake Tribune. Reporter Jessica Miller tells the story of a 17-year-old girl - who, unfortunately, follows the pattern of being trafficked to the U.S. from another country - and was forced into sex slavery.
Stop for a second - 17. A minor. I don't think I knew what sex slavery was at age 17.
The story goes on to indicate how the girl (who only goes by her initials, M.R.) was recruited by the leader of a Utah prostitution business, Luis Daniel Arano-Hernandez. He had "threatened to harm the teen's family and have her deported if she failed to participate in prostitution."
Wouldn't you know it - there is legislation in place in Utah, too - but it is not directly anti-trafficking legislation. The article states that "the SECURE Strike Force started in October 2009 to target major crimes by and against undocumented residents." Apparently, there has been some success with the legislation in question, too; "The Utah District Attorney's Office reported that during the past two years, the strike force has investigated 338 cases and arrested 120 people for crimes including human trafficking, identity theft, illegal drugs, guns and other violent crimes" (see the 2009 press release on the SECURE Strike Force).
The issues here are all important. We should be cracking down on identity theft. We should figure out whether or not we want to legalize weed, and if we do decide to keep it illegal, to work toward an end to drug trafficking. We should decide where we stand with regard to gun control. But...wouldn't one hope that all of these issues would require separate legislation, not just some broad task force designed to stop all the crimes...but wait...only those committed by immigrants?
I certainly know nothing else of the laws of the state of Utah, so I'm really not going to pretend like I do. However, while it is true that there is a pattern with human trafficking and immigrants, shouldn't the legislation put in place to stop trafficking be concerned with all possible suspects of trafficking? I understand that immigrants need to be further investigated in trafficking cases - the numbers don't lie. But this SECURE Strike Force seems more like broad legislation put in place to stop immigrant crimes - and not concentrated legislation that is designed to stop all cases of these crimes. I would be saddened to find out that the SECURE Strike Force is the only legislation in the state of Utah that is concerned with human trafficking cases (there may be an update on this later...).
Luis Daniel Arano-Hernandez received five years to life in prison for keeping M.R. and other girls as sex slaves for his business. His four cohorts decided to cooperate with the police in exchange for reduced sentences. I guess none of the perpetrators were entirely intimidated by the SECURE Strike Force.
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