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The SAVE Act will facilitate the fight against human trafficking

Attorney General Mark Herring recently spoke out in favor of the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act which is currently before the U.S. Senate. If passed, the law would help prevent human trafficking by requiring greater regulation of “adult services” advertisements on websites. Websites would have to verify the identity of the people posting advertisements for such services and the ages of people who appear in the ads.

Though adults can also be trafficking victims, perpetrators frequently target young women, and age verification can reveal illegal activity. Generally, these protocols would inhibit traffickers’ ability to advertise freely on the Internet. Though websites cannot legally be prohibited from running advertisements for “adult services,” more regulations will demand the website owners take more responsibility for the women who may be victimized through their platforms. The Internet can offer a cloak of anonymity — something traffickers rely on in order to stay under the radar. Taking away anonymous advertising opportunities will make it more difficult for them to run their businesses and more likely for law enforcement to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators.

Human trafficking is a national issue — at least 14,500 people are trafficked in the United States annually — and this federal legislation is a positive step toward combatting it. But there are many other changes besides regulating Internet forums which can help combat the problem of human trafficking. Even if using websites becomes unsafe for them, traffickers could still find other ways to run their businesses.

On a local level, a shelter called the Arbor recently opened in Charlottesville to provide long-term housing and aftercare to women who have survived trafficking. Having a safe place to stay can allow survivors to recover from their trauma and to find stability and safety as their traffickers are tried. Over the last two years, Mark Herring’s office has been training local law enforcement officers to recognize the signs of trafficking and prosecute it effectively.

The consequences for traffickers, however, could be heavier. A perpetrator in a recent human trafficking case in Harrisonburg was only sentenced to 10 years in prison (the maximum would have been 15). The victim in the case was forced to have sex with as many as 30 men a day for six months.

A punishment of only 10 years is far too lenient for this crime. For a woman who was raped thousands of times, each individual act of violence against her should add years onto the incarceration of her victimizer. A 10-year sentence will also allow the perpetrator, once released, to continue forcing young women into prostitution rings.

Harsher sentences send a message that human trafficking — often referred to as modern day slavery — will not be treated lightly by the justice system, and will keep other young women safer by incarcerating perpetrators for longer. Hopefully Herring will not only continue his support for the federal SAVE Act, but will also lobby for legislation in Virginia which will protect trafficking victims and prevent future cases from occurring.

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