Human Trafficking Has Touched All 92 Indiana Counties, Legislator

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    By Alexa Shrake, TheStatehouseFile.com

    INDIANAPOLIS—In observance of Human Trafficking Month, Rep. John Bartlett, D-Indianapolis, and Rep. Wendy McNamara, R-Evansville, joined together to honor human trafficking survivors and raise awareness about an issue estimated to affect 24.9 million victims worldwide. 

    “Human trafficking is a major public health, human rights, economic justice and social justice issue that has touched all of our 92 counties,” Bartlett said in a press release. “And yet, we never hear about it. In that silence, human trafficking has flourished.”

    McNamara authored House Bill 1081 that would address legal definitions and criminal penalties for human trafficking. The bill specifies that consent from the victim and a belief that they were not a minor at the time is not a defense to a prosecution. 

    The bill has passed committee and is waiting to be heard for its second reading in the House. 

    According to the U.S. Department of State, “when a person is required to engage in a commercial sex act as the result of force, threats of force, fraud, coercion or any combination of such means, that person is a victim of human trafficking.”

    “The human trafficking industry is worth an estimated $150 billion worldwide, and yet this vile criminal enterprise is still invisible to many,” McNamara said in a press release. “We must keep raising awareness and pass stronger legislation to provide greater protections to victims who are bought and sold throughout Indiana and the world.”

    The Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program provides education and help for those who have been affected or want to help prevent it. 

    In 2020, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, there were 514 cases reported in Indiana. Indiana ranks 21st in the nation for human trafficking reports.

    FOOTNOTES Report human trafficking to local law enforcement or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-800-373-7888.

    Alexa Shrake is a reporter for TheStatehouseFile.com, a news website powered by Franklin College journalism students.

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