California Chronicle | MAYOR NEWSOM AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY HARRIS ANNOUNCE COLLABORATIVE AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING

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January 12, 2010

San Francisco, CA— Mayor Gavin Newsom, District Attorney Kamala D. Harris and Supervisor Carmen Chu today launched the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking. The partnership between city government agencies and community providers was formed to raise public awareness about the crime of human trafficking, develop policy to combat it and provide support for survivors.

"Human Trafficking is an egregious violation of human rights that not only harms the victims, but damages the community as a whole," said Mayor Newsom. "San Francisco is a city that values an individual´s right to live free from violence, exploitation, or slavery. We are committed to working with our partners to eradicate human trafficking by holding the traffickers accountable, and to getting victims the help they need."

The San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking is a diverse group of committed government officials, community representatives, service providers, and enforcement officers, working to address the complex problem of identifying, rescuing and rehabilitating victims and prosecuting human traffickers.

"Although Human Trafficking is a global problem, I want to commend the work our City departments and the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking are doing to help combat this criminal activity locally," said Supervisor Carmen Chu.

"This modern-day slavery will never end unless we raise awareness, strengthen the law and provide comprehensive support so victims can come out of the shadows," said District Attorney Harris. "That means taking action in our courts, up in Sacramento and out on our streets so that this outrageous crime can be reported and perpetrators can be held accountable."

Mayor Newsom and DA Harris also called for the passage of AB 559, a bill sponsored by Assemblymember Sandré Swanson (D-Oakland) with support from the Alameda County District Attorney´s Office. AB 559 would strengthen California´s human trafficking law to ensure that prosecutors have the ability to prosecute child trafficking cases without having the onerous burden of proving coercion. This change in the law would bring California´s statute in line with federal law.


The State Department estimates that 14,500-17,500 people are trafficked into the United States each year for involuntary servitude or modern-day slavery. Thousands more are moved across state and county lines as domestic trafficking victims. Home to a large international port, San Francisco is a major transit point for traffickers.

San Francisco leaders have a longstanding history of fighting human trafficking. In 2005, District Attorney Harris sponsored statewide legislation that made human trafficking a violation of California law. Also in 2005, Mayor Newsom and District Attorney Harris began a campaign to close illegal massage parlors and other businesses that act as fronts for
traffickers. Supervisor Chu has continued that battle with her push to ensure that building and health and safety code violations are enforced. The formation of the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking marks the first time that city government agencies and community providers have formed a sustained partnership dedicated to the ongoing battle against human trafficking.

The Mayor´s Office is the lead government sponsor agency of the San Francisco Collaborative Against Human Trafficking. Jewish Children and Family Services is the chief community co-sponsor. The other public and private partners are The San Francisco District Attorney´s Office, the Department on the Status of Women, the Human Rights Commission, SAGE, Because Justice Matters, the National Council of Jewish Women, the San Francisco Women´s Political Coalition, Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach, New Israel Fund, the Jewish Coalition to End Human Trafficking and Asian Women´s Shelter.

To underscore the City´s commitment to raising awareness of the issue of human trafficking, Mayor Gavin Newsom also declared the month-long period from January 11, 2010 to February 12, 2010, Abraham Lincoln´s birthday, International Human Trafficking Awareness Month. The collaborative was launched with a series of activities at City Hall including a panel discussion by service providers and a film screening.


California Chronicle | MAYOR NEWSOM AND DISTRICT ATTORNEY HARRIS ANNOUNCE COLLABORATIVE AGAINST HUMAN TRAFFICKING