INDIANAPOLIS —The first bill headed to Gov. Mitch Daniels’ desk of the 2012 legislative session is an effort to toughen Indiana’s human trafficking laws ahead of the Super Bowl.
The House gave final approval to a measure Friday that would close loopholes that Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller has argued must be dealt with ahead of the Feb. 5 game in Indianapolis, because, he says, such events attract increased activity in the commercial sex trade.
Under current law, prosecutors must prove that those charged with recruiting children to engage in prostitution used or at least threatened to use force – and while prostitution is covered, other types of sexual conduct are not.
And a loophole in Indiana’s laws gives prosecutors no tools to go after those who give or sell to others for the purpose of those children then being sold into prostitution.
Senate Bill 4, which won the unanimous support of both chambers of the General Assembly, fixes those issues. It takes effect immediately after Daniels affixes his signature.
“The 2012 Super Bowl’s presence in Indianapolis has helped us bring attention to this global problem and ramp up state and local efforts to help victims and prosecute traffickers,” Zoeller said in a statement.
Other lawmakers said it’s a problem that isn’t limited to Indianapolis around the time of the Super Bowl. They said it affects small communities.
“The No. 1 motivator in trafficking, or sexual slavery, is fear. A lot of these people are brought from other countries, and they are brought as indentured servants. They don’t have any papers, and they’re told, we’ll send you back to your country,” said Rep. Peggy Welch, D-Bloomington.