Six Iowa and Nebraska Trafficked Adolescents Freed in FBI Operation

Six Iowa and Nebraska Trafficked Adolescents Freed in FBI Operation

Six adolescents in Iowa and Nebraska are safe following a recent human trafficking investigation. The NAHT has recently discovered a new resource on “stopping the demand”. Iowa Senator Ernst authors Anti-Trafficking Bill. Watch an online “Grooming and Sexting” 30-minute training video. Rotary Club of West Liberty raised over $1,000 to fight human trafficking. The international law firm Jones Day and the Rotary Action Group Against Slavery (RAGAS) launched a Global Compendium of Laws on human trafficking. The Iowa Department of Public Safety (DPS) conducted a new study to determine if there is a problem with human trafficking at the Iowa State Fair and other large Iowa events. Participate in the annual Walk For Freedom Day on Saturday, October 15th. A group of volunteers carried out a human trafficking rescue sticker Iowa State Fair posting project in all 150 Kybos.

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Trafficking Billboards Going Up in Iowa and Freedom Truck at State Fair

Trafficking Billboards Going Up in Iowa and Freedom Truck at State Fair

Recently the DOT partnered with Bucket Media to create billboards regarding human trafficking. The DOT also plans to collaborate with Truckers Against Trafficking to have the Freedom Truck Trailer promoting awareness of human trafficking for three days at the Iowa State Fair. A21 will be hosting a global broadcast to equip and inspire you in the fight against human trafficking. Use your birthday as a Facebook Fundraiser in support of our work to end modern-day slavery! July 30th is World Day Against Trafficking in Persons and gives Iowans an opportunity to band together and build momentum to defeat human trafficking. The annual US State Department report on Trafficking in Persons (TIP) is now available. A $15,000 Rotary Club Grant was awarded to Braking Traffik. Contact your Iowa representative to urge support of the Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act of 2022.

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15-year-old Girl Snatched from Basketball Game and Trafficked to Another State

There are 12 local and regional coalitions against trafficking in Iowa. Get the list on our website. A missing teen from Chicago was found in Tuscaloosa recently thanks to the quick actions of hotel employees. Federal reforms for farmworkers are in the works following a blockbuster human trafficking case out of Georgia late last year. Why the average age of 13 for victims entering human trafficking is not an accurate statistic. More than 100M people around the globe are displaced and at risk of exploitation by traffickers. Read more about human trafficking of Ukraine refugees. Eight people have been arrested for allegedly trafficking a 15-year-old girl who was snatched from a basketball game and trafficked to another state.

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Labor-Trafficking Lawsuit Against Iowa College

Labor-Trafficking Lawsuit Against Iowa College

A human-trafficking lawsuit brought by 14 international students from Chile against Western Iowa Tech Community College is proceeding in federal court. Despite a near unanimous bipartisan vote in the Iowa House and an outpouring of support by Iowa anti-trafficking and survivor advocates, the Safe Harbor and Expungement bill has hit a roadblock in the Iowa Senate. 200 people attended the Iowa Human Trafficking Summit. Legislation in Minnesota recently made sex trafficking a violent crime, increased penalties, added funding for anti-trafficking resources, and more. “Mutual outreach” between Iowa anti-trafficking organizations and Iowa RV’ers may organize together against trafficking.

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Manchester Iowa Man Sentenced to 45 Years

Manchester Iowa Man Sentenced to 45 Years

On Wednesday, March 23rd, 2022, 33-year-old Darrius Redd was sentenced to 45 years in prison for sex trafficking. May 10-11th the Iowa Attorney General’s Office is hosting a Human Trafficking Summit called “Resilience and Community”. Today we ask you to send your Senator and Senator Whitver an email explaining the huge loss to young survivors if the Safe Harbor and Expungement bill does not move forward. Marketing efforts from the Secretary of State’s Office and IBAT partners are working – over 500 organizations in Iowa are now IBAT members. Human traffickers see the Ukrainian refugee crisis as a business opportunity. Grassley and Feinstein sponsored legislation to support human trafficking victims.

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NAHT LEGISLATIVE ACTION ALERT

Last month House File 2464 was passed by the Iowa House of Representatives on a vote of 95-1. Senators then moved the bill through their judiciary committee while simultaneously noting the bill would not move forward to a full chamber vote in its current form due to concerns brought forward by the Department of Public Safety. The Network Against Human Trafficking offered the attached amendment language to address those concerns. Please contact your Senator today.

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House File 2464 Needs Your Attention – Call Now

Congratulations to the Iowa House of Representatives for passing House File 2464 on a vote of 95-1! This bill will prevent the harmful and re-traumatizing effects of arrest and prosecution for crimes committed while a survivor was subject to human trafficking. This bill will help a trafficking survivor’s ability to rebuild their life. Please contact your senator and ask them to urge Senator Brad Zaun to assign the bill to a Senate subcommittee ASAP. We have less than one week before the second legislative funnel so get to writing and calling!

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11 Men Arrested in Sting Operation Targeting Human Trafficking through Prostitution in Dubuque

As part of a two-day sting operation targeting human trafficking through prostitution last month, 11 men were arrested. Iowa is one step closer to enacting Safe Harbor legislation! Jacqueline White is the newly hired Human Trafficking Instructor at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. 300 people attended a faith-based conference on human trafficking at Iowa’s largest church, Lutheran Church of Hope. The California prosecutor who initiated trafficking and money laundering cases against Backpage.com released a book in January about her experience. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) just released a report on the need for modern policies and laws to catch up with the ways technology is used to facilitate trafficking.

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