Lynn’s Warriors and The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) applauded Florida Governor Ron DeSantis for signing SB 1826 into law today. The new law will improve protections for human trafficking victims in several ways: 1) It creates a privilege for communications between victims of human trafficking and trained advocates; and 2) authorizes judges to make procedural accommodations for victims of human sex trafficking in judicial proceedings. The bill also expands the definition of human trafficking to include, “purchasing patronizing, or procuring” another person for exploitation; and to include the trafficking of “an adult believed by the person to be a child.” At a time when some jurisdictions around the US are systematically letting offenders off the hook, Florida is taking the crime seriously enough to focus new attention on them.

Message From the Secretary of State

This year’s Trafficking in Persons Report sends a strong message to the world that global crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and enduring discriminatory policies and practices, have a disproportionate effect on individuals already oppressed by other injustices.  These challenges further compound existing vulnerabilities to exploitation, including human trafficking.  We must break this inhumane cycle of discrimination and injustices if we hope to one day eliminate human trafficking.

The U.S. Department of State strives to advance around the world the security, prosperity, and values that U.S. citizens share.  We know recent events have led our country to grapple with unequal treatment and racism here at home that has reverberated around the world.  As a government and society, we strive to correct past wrongs and advance racial equity in the United States and abroad.  We commit to bringing this dedication to our efforts to fight human trafficking as well.  We will seek to use our year-round engagement with governments, advocates, and the private sector to build a more effective anti-trafficking strategy rooted in equity.  This must include coming to terms with our role in having perpetuated violence and dehumanized people, and we must work to right these past wrongs.

 

There is a common perception that a nondescript van is canvassing neighborhoods snatching trafficking victims in plain sight. While this does happen, the reality for most victims is that a trafficker is canvasing the internet for potential prey using a keyboard, not a van.

Recently, the Human Trafficking Institute released the 2020 Federal Human Trafficking Report with alarming metrics. The report stated over 41 percent of victim recruitment came from the internet, with 59 percent from Facebook alone. Yes, from Facebook, not from a dark corner of the web but right in front of our eyes on one of the world’s most popular social media platforms.

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Washington, DC (June 29, 2021) – Google is implementing several major changes to Chromebooks and its suite of education products to make them safer for millions of K-12 students worldwide. The National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE) and its allies have been pressing Google for years to proactively do more to protect kids from harmful material, and even predators, through their products. Most recently, NCOSE named Chromebooks to its 2021 Dirty Dozen List, an annual list of mainstream contributors to sexual exploitation.

As of September 1, 2021, Google is launching several changes suggested by NCOSE. Chromebooks (and Chrome OS) for primary and secondary schools will have safety settings set to default, meaning they can only be changed with administrative privileges: SafeSearch will be on; Enable Guest Browsing will be off; Incognito Mode will be off; and SafeSites will be on (blocking explicit URLs). What’s more, all those in K-12 that currently have a school-issued Chromebook will be updated with these significant improvements

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A new campaign was launched on Monday to address human trafficking in the State of Mississippi. The “Be the Solution” campaign was launched by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Public Safety.

“It’s in our state. It’s in our country. It’s a $150 billion a year industry. Forty billion people right now are part of human trafficking and that’s alarming,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R-Miss.).

Convenience stores, beer distributors, and schools are involved in the program. The campaign also works to make sure truck drivers are properly trained to handle human trafficking situations.

JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – A new campaign was launched on Monday to address human trafficking in the State of Mississippi. The “Be the Solution” campaign was launched by the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Public Safety.

“It’s in our state. It’s in our country. It’s a $150 billion a year industry. Forty billion people right now are part of human trafficking and that’s alarming,” said Attorney General Lynn Fitch (R-Miss.).

Convenience stores, beer distributors, and schools are involved in the program. The campaign also works to make sure truck drivers are properly trained to handle human trafficking situations.

RALEIGH, N.C. – A Four Oaks man was sentenced yesterday to 420 months in prison and a life term of supervised release for sex trafficking of a minor and using the internet to operate a prostitution enterprise. On December 17, 2020, Marvarlus Cortel Snead was convicted of the charges after a four-day jury trial.  Snead was also ordered to pay more than $200,000 in restitution to the minor victim.

If you, as a parent, have been experiencing anxiety about the “return to normal,” your kids are likely to be harboring similar feelings, perhaps even to a greater degree. “We’ve gone from pause to fast-forward,” says Rebecca Schrag Hershberg, a clinical psychologist who specializes in early-childhood social emotional development and mental health. “It’s just really overstimulating. For all of us, and certainly kids.”

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Facebook failed to protect against teen sex trafficking, court rules, paving the way for tech companies to be held liable when they’re used for criminal activity.

• Facebook argued that it should not be held liable because it is shielded by Section 230.
• A recent report found most online recruitment in active sex trafficking cases in 2020 was on Facebook.

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