About 100 teenagers, mostly girls, have reported being victims of human trafficking for prostitution or pornography in the New Orleans-Baton Rouge area in the last two years.
That's disconcerting, especially because law enforcement officials say they have no idea how many victims of youth sexual traffic are in the state now. That makes the job of a newly constituted state task force very important.
At the urging of state Sen. Willie Mount of Lake Charles, lawmakers this year formed the Human Trafficking Study Work Group, which will assess the problem and make policy recommendations to Gov. Bobby Jindal by next February.
In particular, officials are looking for ways to help young victims report the crime and receive treatment and assistance. Evelyn Jenkins, director of child welfare for the Department of Children and Family Services, said the group will examine laws and policies in other states. They will also look at best practices to help victims cope with behavioral and psychological problems.
Getting young people to come forward is a major obstacle, according to Katherine Green, a representative of the Baton Rouge federal court's human trafficking task force. Many victims are afraid of retaliation against them or their families.
Just as bad, some are not even aware that they are being exploited. That's particularly true for some of the youngest victims, children as young as 12 to 14. That's a human tragedy, and anything that can help these kids escape their exploiters would be a welcome change.
Source: NOLA.com
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