By Brittani Coleman
Edited by Cam Powell
South Carolina legislators who support a bill to tighten the penalties for human trafficking and give victims from outside the United States more of chance to stay in the country say it's time people became aware of the problem.
The bill would increase the penalty to 20 years in prison when a minor is involved, allow assets to be seized, business licenses to be revoked and require those convicted to pay victim restitution.
It also would make it a crime to publicize a victim's name or location or the location of any shelter, including shelters serving victims of domestic violence. But that has raised some concerns about conflicts with the state's Freedom of Information Act.
Human trafficking, in which children and adults are held against their will for profit and or forced into labor, has been called modern day slavery.
The bill's sponsor, state Rep. Nelson Hardwick, R-Horry, said it is a serious problem that many people don't know exists. Creating awareness and education is a large part of his bill.
"It is an education process that human trafficking is happening, especially sex trafficking," Hardwick said.
No statistics were immediately available about the number of human trafficking cases in South Carolina. The first case was in 2007, when authorities discovered a 14-year-old girl in a trailer on Sharpe Road in Columbia. Police said she was taken from her home in Mexico and sold to a pimp.
Authorities rescued her after she called her sister in Mexico for help. The pimp pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 14 years in prison.
A 2006 U.S. State Department report said 14,500 to 17,500 people are trafficked into the U.S. annually/ President Barack Obama dedicated January 2010 as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month to call for greater public awareness.
Hardwick said he learned about the issues from the Eastern Carolina Coalition Against Human Trafficking.
The coalition's former vice president, Betty J. Houbion, said the bill will let local law enforcement work with other agencies and protects those victims who are not U.S. citizens.
"People are brought across borders and stripped of their identities," Houbion said.
One of the bill's provisions would prevent the deportation of victims who are not U.S. citizens. Victims also could sue traffickers for damages. Any assets forfeited by traffickers would be used to pay for education and enforcement.
But Bill Rogers, executive director of the S.C. Press Association, said he is concerned about the provisions restricting the information about victims and shelters.
"It's a specific statute that would take away access granted by the Freedom Of Information Act," Rogers said.
State Rep. Deborah Long, R-Lancaster, one of the bill's co-sponsors, said she thought any conflicts could be worked out in committee.
The bill is pending in a House Judiciary subcommittee. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate.
Hardwick's bill would also create a governor's task force against trafficking and require the State Law Enforcement Division to provide training on human trafficking to police and prosecutors.
SLED will also have to compile statistics on trafficking in the state and provide public awareness programs for those at risk of becoming involved in human trafficking.
