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Submitted by Michelle Overstreet, MyHouse Director At the press conference broadcast on February 11, 2022 for Governor Dunleavy’s Omnibus bill on Sex Trafficking we heard Blaze Bell, a survivor of a terrible sex crime, praising the proposed Omnibus legislation that would offer additional penalties for sex crimes like rape and child porn. Staci Yates, MyHouse human trafficking program coordinator,
NEW LAWS COMBAT TRAFFICKING Submitted by Michelle Overstreet, MyHouse Director At the press conference broadcast on February 11, 2022 for Governor Dunleavy’s Omnibus bill on Sex Trafficking we heard Blaze Bell, a survivor of a terrible sex crime, praising the proposed Omnibus legislation that would offer additional penalties for sex crimes like rape and child porn. Staci Yates, MyHouse human trafficking program coordinator, spoke as a survivor of sex trafficking and advocate for those still trapped in the sex trade. She closed her comments by saying “if you are involved in trafficking right now, don’t give up hope, we are coming for you.” There was relief, satisfaction and hope among the survivors and service providers in the room.
And then, the gist of the first in-person question asked by a reporter was, ‘Governor, what is your response to the movement in Anchorage to legalize prostitution?’ It was a gut punch and a solid indicator of the power wielded by those who abuse through sex in manipulating our media and lawmakers. The reporter stated that he was doing a story with a group of women advocating for legalizing prostitution in Anchorage. He didn’t ask any questions about the proposed Omnibus protections and penalties for perpetrators, trafficking or sex crimes. His story aired after the Superbowl on Sunday and focused on the legalization of prostitution, with barely a mention of the Governors proposed protections. The reporter implied that the data on trafficked persons in Alaska is incomplete and law enforcement does not have the numbers to justify the legislation. The reason the law enforcement numbers are not there is
spoke as a survivor of sex trafficking and advocate for those still trapped in the sex trade. She closed her comments by saying “if you are involved in trafficking right now, don’t give up hope, we are coming for you.” There was relief, satisfaction and hope among the survivors and service providers in the room. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
because the laws are weak and arrests are not always possible; prosecution is even more challenging. The reporter mentioned Covenant House and even interviewed a staff member there but neglected to cite the Loyola University study that reported that Covenant House Alaska has the highest rates of trafficking for any Covenant House location in the Nation. The fact is that Alaska Law is like swiss cheese when it comes to prosecuting traffickers. We need new laws. For example, a 17-year-old client who escaped being trafficked at a local hotel had information about customers and her pimp that would have offered an opportunity to prosecute those involved. However, because she was under the influence of drugs her testimony was considered compromised and no charges were filed. The get-out-of-jail card that all traffickers play is to get their victims high and addicted as soon as possible, because it prevents prosecution. There
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MORE ON PAGE 9 OF MAKE A SCENE MAGAZINE have been reports among families and homeless providers of girls being taken to Juneau to entertain lawmakers. One young woman known to be involved died in State custody. The State of Alaska has identified and charged lobbyists in past years who were providing underage girls as “entertainment” for State law makers and influential businessmen, so this is not unheard of or new. Please be aware and suspicious of the repeated attempts to discredit legislation that will protect our youth and young adults from being trafficked. Now more than ever we need to be aware and resist the narrative that ignores the heinous crimes against children and legalizes the sex trade further for the sake of money. Join Blaze Bell and the voices from MY House in saying “if you are being trafficked or abused, hold hope, we are coming for you”. As a community and a State, lets stand for the safety of our people.