LITTLE ROCK — U.S. Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said today that human trafficking is a major problem across the country and must be addressed.
“Make no mistake — human trafficking is not just a global problem,” Holder said during a speech at the Statehouse Convention Center. “It is a national crisis, one that every parent, every teacher, every policymaker and every law enforcement official must work to understand, and must help to address,” he said.
Holder’s speech was part of the Clinton School of Public Service’s Kumpuris Lecture Series. About 1,100 people attended the event.
During the 20-minute speech, Holder said authorities have launched a variety of measures to combat the crime in both the U.S. and abroad.
A specialized unit within the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division was created five years ago to investigate and prosecute the crime, he said.
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Also, the Justice, Homeland Security and Labor departments have collaborated in an effort to streamline investigations and prosecutions. Those efforts have led to the dismantling of a human trafficking ring in Philadelphia and the arrest and conviction of a man responsible for smuggling young people into Atlanta from Mexico, Holder said.
During his speech, he also praised U.S. Attorney Chris Thyer, state Attorney General Dustin McDaniel and local law enforcement in Pulaski County, saying their “commitment to aggressive enforcement, to increased collaboration and to victim assistance is making a meaningful, measurable difference here in Arkansas.”
He recognized two Little Rock women — Kathy Findley and Louise Allison — for their work in helping victims of human trafficking.
Findley is founder of Safe Places, a nonprofit organization in Little Rock that provides shelter for abused women and children.
She told the Arkansas News Bureau earlier this month that 39 victims of human trafficking were served by Safe Places in 2001.
Allison is a former trafficking victim and founder of the nonprofit Partners Against Trafficking Humans, which plans to open up shelters in the Little Rock area beginning in May.
“These dedicated public servants … are doing invaluable work to bring human trafficking crimes to light and to justice — and stand up for the rights and interests of victims,” he said.
In response to two national reports that give Arkansas poor grades for its human trafficking laws, several state lawmakers told the Arkansas News Bureau they hope to strengthen those laws during the 2013 legislative session.
Sen. Missy Irvin, R-Mountain View, and Rep. David Meeks, R-Conway, said they hope to study the state laws and hold legislative hearings this summer in an effort to have legislation ready for consideration in 2013.