Rep. Denham hosts meeting to fight human trafficking

U.S. Rep. Jeff Denham (R-CA) hosted Wednesday a roundtable with local community leaders, law enforcement officials, and the leaders of Uber, among others, to discuss how to combat human trafficking.

The meeting, held at the Modesto Police Department in California, gave attendees an opportunity to share best practices on how to deal with what has become an epidemic in the region.

“Even one person affected by human trafficking is too many,” Denham said. “As community leaders, it is our responsibility to find solutions and deliver results.”

California has more arrests for human trafficking than any other state. About 40 percent of trafficked victims are between the ages of 12-17, while 60 percent are between 18 and 25.

“We’re proud to partner with Congressman Denham, community groups, and law enforcement to help raise awareness in the communities we serve on human trafficking warning signs and reporting. The conversation today was productive, and we look forward to working together to drive awareness and help combat this terrible crime,” Dave Barmore, public policy manager at Uber Technologies, who participated in the roundtable.

Congress recently approved two bills — the Combating Human Trafficking in Commercial Vehicles Act (H.R. 3813) and the No Human Trafficking on Our Roads Act (H.R. 3814) – were designed to fight the perpetrators of human trafficking.

Further, the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017 (H.R. 1865), which was signed into law, will increase penalties and liability for online platforms that may be used in human trafficking.

“There are many partners in the 10th District collaborating to confront human trafficking. This roundtable with Uber started the engine to bring big business into that fold,” Debbie Johnson, CEO and founder of local nonprofit Without Permission, said. “Uber drivers looking for the ‘red flags’ of sex trafficking in our community could prove to be a major deterrent to trafficking in our hometown.”