Since 2008 the United States has recognized Jan. 11 as a National Day of Human Trafficking Awareness.

The Soroptimist International clubs of the Flathead Valley are using this important designation to raise local awareness of the worldwide crime of human trafficking, also referred to as modern- day slavery. Sex trafficking is the most common form of modern-day slavery. It is defined by our national law as “a commercial sex act that is induced by force or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such an act has not attained 18 years of age.” 

Sex trafficking is not a foreign problem; it is flourishing throughout the U.S. in small towns and in big cities. Sex trafficking has been found in all facets of the broader commercial sex trade, from message parlors, strip clubs, prostitution, to all forms of pornography.

Labor trafficking also occurs in the U.S. and involves forcing individuals to work against their will in any number of industries, like domestic help, farm/agricultural work, factories and other service industries by using force, fraud or coercion.  

Since that first national day of awareness six years ago, it has been an uphill battle to advocate on an issue that has been misunderstood and generally received with an attitude of denial.  But all of that is changing and it is changing fast, thanks to the hard work of organizations such as the Polaris Project, Shared Hope International, Free the Slaves, International Justice Mission and many others focused on protecting victims, developing policy, and working with political leaders and national law enforcement agencies.

We are seeing rapid changes in state laws to aggressively tackle the crimes of human trafficking. Montana is no exception. This past legislative session saw profound changes in our laws primarily through the passage of three bills, HB478, HB488, and SB259. Detailed information about these laws can be found on the Montana Legislature website: www.leg.mt.gov/css/bills.

HB478 was the largest and most sweeping piece of legislation. In summary, it better defines human trafficking, establishes the offenses of sexual servitude of a child and patronizing a child, revises prostitution laws to protect children under 18, states that not knowing the age of the victim is NOT a defense, and establishes harsh punishment for those found guilty of human trafficking offenses.

HB488 required the Department of Justice to create and make available a human trafficking poster that features the national human trafficking resource center hotline number. The poster is found on the Department of Justice website for download at www.doj.mt.gov. It is also displayed at every state rest-stop and will be distributed to other locations across the state.

SB259 allows persons to motion the courts to vacate prostitution convictions for a victim of trafficking. The victim is also informed of and is eligible for state and federal programs and services. 

The Montana Department of Justice, under the leadership of Attorney General Tim Fox, is quickly implementing the provisions of these new laws while looking forward to additional legislative and departmental action needed to protect citizens, hold perpetrators accountable and keep Montana in-step with national human trafficking initiatives. In fact, last summer the Uniform Law Commission, with a broad coalition of organizations, created a new comprehensive law called the Uniform Act on Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking. Work has already begun to evaluate how Montana can adopt key provisions of this new uniform law. The law in its entirety can be found at: www.uniformlaws.org. 

To learn more about human trafficking, consider attending the 2014 Mansfield Conference at the University of Montana in Missoula on April 16-17. The conference title is “Fight for Hope and Freedom: Human Trafficking, Montana and the World,” and will feature state and national leaders and activists working on human trafficking in an effort to raise awareness and help our communities mobilize to combat the fastest growing criminal activity across the globe.

Human trafficking is not a new crime; it happens in Montana and is a violation of a victim’s most fundamental human rights.  

Yarus represents Soroptimist International of Whitefish.