Support Stronger Anti-Trafficking Laws in Missouri

How We Won

May 11, 2011

After months of advocacy from Missourians and nearly 1000 Change.org members, the Missouri House members voted 154-0 to strengthen human trafficking laws in the state.

Under the legislation, possible prison sentences would be five years to 20 years for those convicted of crimes such as trafficking for slavery or forced labor, trafficking for sexual exploitation and abuse through forced labor. People convicted of those crimes also could be fined up to $250,000. Currently, those trafficking offenses carry a prison sentence of up to 15 years in prison.

Courts also would be required to order those convicted the trafficking offenses to pay restitution to compensate victims for the value of their labor and for mental and physical rehabilitation needed for victims and their children. Additionally, trafficking victims could file a civil lawsuit, and the state attorney general's office could bring its own lawsuit seeking a civil penalty of up to $50,000 per violation from people who benefit from trafficking violations.

Last September, five Missouri men were indicted for trafficking a 16-year-old mentally deficient girl, and forcing her to sign a “sex slave contract.” For four years, the men made her work as a stripper, sexually abused her and tortured her on webcam. They even tattooed a barcode on her neck, and the letter “S”—for slave. This case is horrific, and like me, you probably want these men in jail for life. But Missouri law doesn’t agree: in the state, most convicted human traffickers serve only five years in prison, and sentences are capped at fifteen years, according to The Columbia Daily Tribune.

This particular case is brutal enough that the traffickers are facing life in prison — but what about future criminals? Missouri needs to bring its weak state trafficking laws up to the federal level. This move would empower state law enforcement to assist federal investigators, and send a strong message that trafficking is not a small crime. Representative Jason Kander (D-Kansas City) is planning to introduce legislation that will raise the penalties in Missouri state courts to the federal level Trafficking is currently only a Class B felony in Missouri, which carries a 5-15 year penalty. Kander's legislation would make state law match federal law, giving criminals — like those who trafficked and sexually abused a disabled 16-year-old girl — the sentences they deserve. Tell Missouri legislatures to support the proposal today.

Why People Are Signing

Recent Signatures