The Human Trafficking Task Force looks to propose new legislation in protection of victims of prostitution, who are charged with criminal records in the city of Phoenix.
Members of the public were invited to listen in on the Task Force’s meeting on Wed., September 15th where members discussed addressing, combatting and preventing human trafficking.
The last time Phoenix passed legislature regarding human trafficking was in 1997. This 23-year-old law states that a victim must go through an eight-year waiting period and have clear and convincing evidence that they were trafficked in order to remove criminal charges.
“Even if you have your traffickers name tattooed on your chest, I can’t say that would meet the bar of clear and convincing,” associate professor in the School of Social Work at Arizona State University Dominique Roe-Sepowitz said.
Roe-Sepowitz has been an appointed member of the Task Force since 2014 and actively fights for the justice of those who have been criminally charged after being sexually trafficked.
Out of the hundreds of those who have participated in the diversion programs with Roe-Sepowitz between 2011 and 2019, 89% of participants have reported that they were victims of sex trafficking.
In the past 23 years of legislation, only two cases have made it to the courts and just one of the two has been deemed successful in granting justice. One victim out of hundreds of thousands was able to achieve justice. Members of the public see the need for new legislation as crucial for trafficking victims whose stories aren’t being told.
“How could you have clear and convincing evidence when you really are just unwilling to talk about that traumatic period of your life,” Roe-Sepowitz said.
Roughly 27% of victims going through diversion are willing to give up who their trafficker is. That leaves 73% of victims whose trauma turns into a criminal record, according to Roe-Sepowitz.
There is a considerable gap between victims who are able to drop criminal charges and those who do not receive the opportunity. The City of Phoenix will now take action to implement change to shorten the gap.
“The City of Phoenix is an outlier for having a mandatory 30-day sentence from prostitution and we can change that,” January Contreras, public interest attorney and nonprofit executive said.
Contreras reported that a mandatory jail sentence and criminal charges for arrested prostitutes who were trafficked is “not in the terms of justice.”
Sergio Gomez, Caseworker III and City of Phoenix Human Services Administration, said that Phoenix mirrors what the state has. If Phoenix wanted to change the legislature, the jail time would unfortunately remain the same as the city collectively shadows Arizona state laws.
Ultimately the city has no say as it comes down to the state, City Staff said. The Human Trafficking Task Force could propose legislation, but to senators it could be words on paper. The question is how to make these words on paper appear critical and crucial.
City Staff proposed the creation of a smaller subdivision committee led by Contreras and Roe-Sepowitz. The two, along with other interested members of the public, will put pen to paper and work in creating an active plan to execute new legislation as well as help trafficked victims be released from criminal charges.
With a new plan on the way, Roe-Sepowitz said, “this is an opportunity for change and for survivors to turn into thrivers.”
Contact the reporter at pstovey@asu.edu
