The Daily Reveille
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Legislation targets human trafficking Jindal said the state must make it clear it will not tolerate human trafficking. Gov. Bobby Jindal announced “We are still drafting the legislaJan. 26 at the “Criminal Hot Spot tion, but the statutes do not currently Initiative” news contemplate HUMAN TRAFFICKING conference that or criminalize legislation will be Worldwide a person that proposed in the up- • 27 million people are currently knowingly facilcoming legislative victims of human trafficking itates the crime session to amend •1 million children are exploited of human trafand expand human by the global commercial sex trade ficking,” Leger trafficking laws in said. “These each year Louisiana. people are The proposed U.S. equally as culpabill, which will be •244,000 children and youth were ble as the person presented by Rep. estimated to be at risk of sexual exploi- actually doing Walt Leger III, D- tation in 2000 the trafficking.” New Orleans, will •12-14 is the average age of entry into Leger said amend the state’s prostitution the legislation, current human traf- Source: Polaris Project if approved, ficking laws and will equalize expand the type of actions and crimi- the punishment for the person who nals involved in this crime, accord- simply assists the trafficker and the ing to a news release. punishment for the person who is en“This is a crime that exists all gaged in human trafficking. around the world, including LouisiThe bill will also expand to inana, which is typically underreported clude the “advertising” of children and difficult to detect,” Jindal said for sexual exploitation, allowing ofJan. 26. “Human trafficking occurs fenders to be prosecuted for listing when a person is recruited, trans- children and services on the Internet. ported or kidnapped to serve an ex“The virtual world evolves ploitative purpose involving sexual quickly, and criminals use it to exoffenses.” ploit our children any way they
Sydni Dunn Staff Writer
can,” Jindal said. “We must give law enforcement officials the tools they need to evolve along with technological advancement so we are stopping these crimes before they can even occur.” Jennie Armstrong, mass communication senior and Tigers Against Trafficking spokeswoman, said this extra protective measure is admirable. “They don’t want to wait until after it happens,” Armstrong said. “They are trying to prevent it before it starts.” Armstrong said she agrees the people who knowingly use trafficking services should be punished along with the people who “kidnap” and “sell” humans. “I’ve worked and followed it closely,” she said. “I knew it was only a matter of time before the laws were changed.” Armstrong said she thinks the public will begin to see more about human trafficking. “There is more pressure in the international community to follow a protocol,” she said. “Anyone can see it is gaining prominence as a social issue.” According to the Polaris Project website, 27 million people
Tuesday, Feb. 1, 2011
BREWING BUSINESS
CHRISTOPHER LEH / The Daily Reveille
A brand new CC’s Community Coffee House located on the second floor of the Student Union opened Monday. Hours are 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Friday.
worldwide are victims of modernday slavery, more people than held captive at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. “While many may think human trafficking is something that happens in distant places, the truth is it’s alive right here in Louisiana,” Leger said. The Polaris Project, an organization devoted to combating human trafficking, reported all 50 states in the U.S. have had instances of human trafficking.
The statistics continue, but Leger said human trafficking should not. “I applaud the governor for working with the Legislature to make our communities safer and bring more awareness to this issue,” he said. “I’ll work to make sure this bill becomes a law.” Contact Sydni Dunn at sdunn@lsureveille.com
Parts of Highland Road closed in Feb. for extensive work Sydni Dunn Staff Writer
Students traveling north on Highland Road can continue to expect to hit a detour between East McKinley Street and East Polk Street as construction continues to repair drainage lines beneath the busy road. “We are upsizing sewer lines to prevent sewage overflows in the street,” said Michael Ellis, program manager for CH2M Hill, the group contracted to oversee construction. “The city is under federal order to repair and upsize them to prevent [sanitary sewer overflows], which is when the manholes back up and rainwater mixes with sewage.” The overall construction is a project of the Sanitary Sewer Overflows program, or SSO, and work began on the sanitary system below Highland Road at the end of November, forcing commuting University faculty and students to detour through the surrounding neighborhood. The detour route currently follows Thomas H. Delpit Drive, which parallels Highland Road, between East Polk and East McKinley streets. The route was chosen by the Department of Public Works based on accessibility. The road work should end within the month, according to Ellis. “The campus is important to maintain access to,” Ellis said. “We do a lot of this work on Highland in between semesters to impact students as little as possible.” Ellis said the team also does a lot of work at night to expedite the progress and minimize impact on the surrounding areas. But some local business owners are still feeling the effects. Charlie Tran, manager of University Seafood near the
intersection of Highland Road and Garfield Street, said his business has seen fewer customers since the construction began. “It just slowed down a little bit,” he said. “But we can’t do nothing about it, really.” Ellis said he realizes the project is having an impact, but it’s not
unlike any other construction. “What we try to do is notify business owners the best we can and provide access the best we can,” he said. Ellis said the southbound lane has been opened to traffic, and the entire road will open to traffic after asphalt is laid.
The drainage repair on Highland Road is one of 85 projects by SSO slated to fix Baton Rouge’s crumbling sewer system, which averages about 10 million feet of piping, Ellis said. The SSO program is an initiative of the Baton Rouge City-Parish Department of Public Works,
and construction began last year. Maintenance to the system is required under a court-approved decree with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Contact Sydni Dunn at sdunn@lsureveille.com