After fighting for four years to get this legislation to pass, Georgia’s tough anti-human trafficking law has been put into practice. The new law has tough penalties for violators including the following:

-25-year minimum sentence for perpetrators caught using coercion trafficking a child under 18 years old. Coercion is defined as using physical abuse, financial harm, withholding of legal documents, or forcing drugs on their victims.

-5-year minimum sentence for purchasing someone 16 years old

-10-year minimum sentence for purchasing someone under 16 years

Georgia used a combination of strict penalties for perpetrators as well as victim protection services in order to include the support of all groups–something California Against Slavery is pushing for.

The difference between Georgia and us is that we are using the initiative process instead of fighting our way through legislation; meaning that we need the support of the majority of California’s citizens instead of lobbying for politicians’ support. Why is California not the leading state on this issue? We have 3 of the top 10 worst human trafficking hubs in the US (according to the last FBI report) and Georgia is ahead? Can we get our initiative onto the 2012 ballot and catch up? We need your help in spreading the word about this pressing issue.

Source: Huffington Post Article