News

LANSING – The Michigan House today passed a multi-bill package championed by State Representative Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) designed to crack down on human trafficking in Michigan. This form of modern-day slavery, which victimizes hundreds of thousands of people from around the world each year, is a growing problem in Michigan and across the United States.

"Make no mistake about it – human trafficking is a vicious form of modern-day slavery," said Dean, a lead sponsor of the package. "A child who has been forced into prostitution or indentured servitude will never regain his or her innocence. But we as a society owe them the means to start their lives anew and get back on their feet."

According to statistics compiled by the U.S. Department of Justice, an estimated 600,000 to 800,000 men, women, and children are trafficked across international borders each year, and the trade is growing.^[i] Of the 600,000 to 800,000 people victimized each year, 70 percent are female and 50 percent are children. The majority of these victims are forced into the commercial sex trade.^[ii] Each year, an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country each year is even higher, with an estimated 200,000 American children at risk for being trafficked into the sex industry.^[iii]

Dean noted a 2005 case in which a Michigan couple was indicted on federal human trafficking charges for forcing a 14-year-old girl from Cameroon into involuntary servitude for their own financial gain.

"Trafficking children is a sickening crime that should be punished to the full extent of the law," Dean said. "This plan will clarify definitions of human trafficking and establish harsh penalties for those who profit from it."

In addition to strengthening existing laws, the bill package will:

• Add human trafficking to the list of offenses that qualify for prosecution under Michigan's racketeering statute so that prosecutors can go after both the individuals involved, as well as those who support them and fund their activities.
• Provide for the seizure and sale of any assets used in human trafficking, the funds from which can be used to fund further trafficking enforcement.
• Provide for restitution for the victims to help compensate them for lost wages.

The bill package comes on the heels of a new federal human-trafficking statute that was recently signed into law. Prior to the establishment of the crime of human trafficking, criminals had to be prosecuted for crimes such as kidnapping, which carry lighter penalties and do not allow for the prosecution of an entire criminal organization.

Additionally, Dean said, government entities such as prosecutors, investigators and courts could be reimbursed for legal fees and other costs associated with the prosecution of offenders.