Targeting Human Trafficking

Sacramento, CA — A new bill aimed at the demand side of human trafficking in the state is gaining traction.

Senate Minority Leader Bob Huff authored SB 420, which unanimously passed the Senate Floor and now heads to the Assembly. SB 420 would amend the state penal code to make a clear distinction from the buyers and sellers of human trafficking and prostitution by defining between an adult who is selling, from the adult who is purchasing, or an adult who is purchasing a minor for sex. “By US State Department estimates, sex trafficking is a $32 billion industry in this country and 50 percent of trafficking victims are minors,” says Senator Huff.

The bill would collect data on the buyers of sex to help with future law enforcement. The information could be used by state and local prosecutors to address the growing problem, especially among at-risk youth, according to Huff, who says, “The sad reality is that human trafficking is incredibly lucrative. You can sell a drug only once, but a human being can be used over and over again.”