Politics & Government

Kowall Unveils Plan to Combat 'Modern-Day Slavery' of Human Trafficking

The Michigan Human Traffic Commission's final report outlines imperative to give victims access to services through updated laws, state representative says.

State Rep. Eileen Kowall today announced she will introduce legislation to combat human trafficking in Michigan and prevent future occurrences of it.

Based on the final report recently released by the Michigan Human Trafficking Commission, Kowall said in a news release that it’s more important than ever to update Michigan’s current laws to prevent what many consider “modern-day slavery.”

The report identified ways of raising public awareness and improving professional training for law enforcement, along with data collection and victim services.

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“Labor and sex trafficking combined have become the second largest organized crime in the world today, yet it goes on largely unnoticed and sometimes takes place right under our noses,” said Kowall, R-White Lake. “The Human Trafficking Commission has spent many months looking at this terrible problem, and now we can begin to work toward ending human trafficking through stronger laws and better policies.”

As a part of her legislative plan, Kowall introduced House Bill 5012 in September, which creates a safe harbor for minors coerced into child sexually abusive activity or commercial sexual activity and places these minors into the custody of the Michigan Department of Human Services.

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HB 5012 was approved by the House Criminal Justice Committee and is now before the full House for consideration.

“It is awful that children and teens in our state are faced with these problems,” Kowall said. “We need to do all we can to make sure that these victims get the help they need, and I believe that these bills are a great place to start.

“However, as the Human Trafficking report indicated, more legislation is still needed, and I will be working diligently with my colleagues to contain and eradicate human trafficking in our state.”

The lawmaker says she intends to introduce additional bills in the coming weeks.


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