THE REGULARS: War against human trafficking shows progress – Sioux City Journal

A major contributing factor to my optimism for progress in the war against human trafficking is President Trumps promise to bring the full force and weight of the U.S. government to combat human trafficking (Sioux City Journal, March 7). He was the first presidential candidate of the 2016 election to sign the Childrens Internet Safety Presidential Pledge. Within the pledge is a promise to aggressively enforce existing federal laws to prevent the sexual exploitation of children online, including federal obscenity laws and child pornography laws. It also is a pledge to appoint an attorney general who will make prosecution of such laws a priority.

We have not had such a focus at this level for decades.

Peer-reviewed research and medical science confirms Internet pornography is a fueling factor in the sexual exploitation and abuse of children, violence against women ... and sex trafficking," according to a 2010 Witherspoon Institute report - "The social cost of pornography: A statement of findings and recommendations," written by Mary Eberstadt and Mary Ann Layden.

The national conversation is bringing domestic minor sex trafficking to the forefront through movies and television shows which gives impetus to the movement to end what is, in essence, human slavery. Domestic minor sex trafficking is an emerging health crisis which requires it be treated nationally as a high priority, according to an article written by Dana Kaplan and Kathleen Kemp written for the monthly Brown University Child and Adolescent Behavior Letter published in cooperation with Bradley Hospital in Riverside, R.I.

Another reason for optimism is the increase in collaboration taking place within the tri-state area across multiple jurisdictions. The internet and the interstate system facilitate the ease with which traffickers are able to slip in and out of cities without being detected. Because of this fluidity, information sharing is vital to dismantling sex trafficking networks. We see more sharing of information taking place across state lines today.

Shared Hope Internationals Protected Innocence Challenge Framework gives report cards on how states meet the challenge legislatively (sharedhope.org). Iowa, since 2014, remains at a B ranking, but Nebraska moved from a D to a B while South Dakota went from an F to a D. There is obviously more work to be done, but this report card provides a blueprint for states to bring their laws to the level needed for the protection of the innocent.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad signed SF 2258 into law effective July 1, 2016, creating a new child sex trafficking abuse code, implementing federal requirements from the Preventing Sex Trafficking and Strengthening Families Act which addresses human trafficking, and implementing federal requirements from the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act of 2015 which provides services for survivors of sex trafficking.

The Siouxland Coalition Against Human Trafficking (SCAHT) continues to educate the community on all aspects of the human trafficking industry by providing speakers to community groups and having conferences open to the general public. If you do not understand the problem, you wont be able to be part of the solution.

SCAHT has collaborated with the Iowa Department of Social Services in securing training of its staff, Sioux City schools in educating teachers on the signs of sex trafficking, educating students in schools on the lures traffickers use to recruit young people, are in the process of contacting hotels/motels to train their staff, and is lobbying for legislation to make it easier to prosecute traffickers and buyers of commercialized sex.

Locally, our greatest need is for an emergency shelter for rescued survivors of sex trafficking. A house of restoration is in progress, Lila Mays House, but it will not address the need for an emergency shelter. One way to meet the need is for community groups to join efforts and fund one or two dedicated apartments as emergency shelters for survivors of human trafficking.

Other ways in which you can participate in the solution are:

- Pray for God to rescue sex-trafficking survivors in our community.

- If you see the absence of normal, say something by reporting to the NHTRC Hotline, 1-888-373-7888, or text Help to Be Free (233-3733) or call local police.

- Pledge to refuse to view pornography of any kind because it fuels the demand for sex trafficking.

- Donate to an emergency shelter.

- Volunteer your talents to SCAHT

Human trafficking is a moral problem and requires a legal response and a moral response. Whats your response?

Linda Holub of Dakota Dunes, S.D., has lived in the Sioux City metro area for more than 40 years. A Certified Life Coach Professional, Holub served two terms on Sioux Citys Effective Public Policy Committee, one term on the Fiscal Management and Public Policy Committee, is a former Woodbury County Republican city co-chair and was a GOP candidate for Woodbury County supervisor in 2012. She and her husband, Dave, have four adult children.

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THE REGULARS: War against human trafficking shows progress - Sioux City Journal