Human Trafficking
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery. Traffickers use force, fraud
or coercion to exploit victims for commercial sex or labor purposes. More then 18,000
victims are trafficked into the U.S. annually and more then half of those victims
are children. Human trafficking is the fastest growing criminal industry in the
world and it is tied with the illegal arms industry as the second largest criminal
industry in the world today. Victims of sex trafficking may be found in massage
parlors, brothels, strip clubs and escort services. Victims of labor trafficking
may be found in domestic situations as nannies or maids, sweatshop factories, construction
sites, farm work or panhandling. Human trafficking is everywhere among us and is
sometimes in plain sight.
The NM Attorney General, the U.S. Attorney and the New Mexico Sexual Assault Coalition,
Inc. sponsored the 2006 New Mexico Human Trafficking Awareness Conference. Policy
makers, law enforcement and victim assistance providers attended the two day conference
in November, 2006. Following the conference a State task force was formed to address
prevention of human trafficking, protection of victims and prosecution of offenders.
The Border Violence Division is proposing legislation to make human trafficking
a state felony offense.
More Information on Human Trafficking