An update on human trafficking in Rhode Island

Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, most commonly intended to exploit women and children, and Rhode Island is not immune to the epidemic. Shockingly, the Ocean State has become a destination for under-age, commercial sex in New England.

For nearly 30 years there were no R.I. laws in place against indoor prostitution or sex trafficking. This made massage parlors and strip clubs prime real estate for human trafficking.  From 1980 to 2009, understaffed law enforcement frequently viewed prostitution as a vice crime and focused primarily on violent crime. With the police ignoring the local sex-slave trade, traffickers from other states begin to do “business” in R.I.

Dr. Donna M. Hughes, an internationally recognized scholar on trafficking, co-founder of Citizens Against Trafficking (CAT) and a women’s studies professor at the University of Rhode Island, told a Providence Journal reporter last December, “Victims are hiding in plain sight — advertised in newspapers, on the streets, in strip clubs.”

According to the State of R.I. Commission on Women, human trafficking is big business, yielding an estimated $32 billion in profits each year. After drug trafficking, it is thought to be the most profitable because human traffickers can continue to exploit their victims after the initial point of sale.

“Rhode Island is a small state with a huge problem,” said Community Relations Director Marty Cooper. “Many victims are young, under-age girls, forced against their will into a life of prostitution.”

In 2009, advocates against human trafficking, including CAT, campaigned for legislation. Eventually the General Assembly passed three laws: one that banned minors working in adult entertainment businesses; one that prohibited prostitution; and another that criminalized human trafficking.

The National Council of Jewish Women/Rhode Island Section (NCJW/RI) and the Jewish Alliance of Greater Rhode Island Community Relations Council (CRC) have long been unfailing supporters of social justice. Seeking to raise greater awareness about sexual exploitation, the NCJW/RI and the CRC invite the community to a discussion led by Hughes who will give an update on human trafficking in Rhode Island.

The event, open to the community at no charge, will take place on Wednesday, March 19 at 7:00 p.m. at the Dwares JCC (401 Elmgrove Avenue, Providence), and all are welcome. For more information, call 401-272-3647.

KARA MARZIALI is the Director of Communications at the Jewish Alliance.