SACRAMENTO – Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino) and Secretary of State Alex Padilla last week announced the introduction of Senate Bill 597, which would make victims of human trafficking eligible for the state’s Safe at Home confidential address program. Safe at Home services are currently offered to victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking.
“Like survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking, survivors of human trafficking should also have access to the Safe at Home program,” Secretary of State Padilla said. “The Safe at Home program can help victims better their lives with greater peace of mind. With the passage of SB 597, survivors of human trafficking would be able to receive mail, open a bank account, register to vote, and fill out government documents confidentially and free from fear.”
Founded in 1999, Safe at Home is California’s confidential address program administered by the California Secretary of State’s office. The program, which provides a free post office box and mail forwarding service, is designed to help victims and survivors of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault to start new lives in peace and to provide added protections to their overall safety plans. The program also helps reproductive health care doctors, nurses, volunteers, and patients.
“The Secretary of State’s ‘Safe at Home’ program already provides important privacy and safety protections to victims of domestic violence, stalking and sexual assault, so I am pleased that SB 597 will now add victims of human trafficking to this list of people that can be protected,” said Senator Connie M. Leyva (D-Chino). “California is one of the top four human trafficking destinations in our country, which clearly shows the urgency of enacting these expanded protections. SB 597 allows victims of human trafficking to have a life that is free from fear and having to look over their shoulder every waking moment. I look forward to continue working with the bill’s sponsor Secretary of State Alex Padilla to further protect these victims and provide them with the peace of mind that they need and deserve.”
Human trafficking is the world’s fastest growing criminal enterprise and is an estimated $32 billion-a-year global activity, according to the California Attorney General’s office. The United Nations estimated the profits associated with human trafficking reached about $150 billion in 2012. Of that, about $100 billion was tied to sexual exploitation.
In 2016, The National Human Trafficking Hotline reports receiving 4,137 calls about human trafficking in California resulting in 1,323 cases – nearly twice as many cases than any other state in the nation. Over 1,000 of those cases dealt with sex trafficking.
The International Labour Organization reported that 18.7 million people are forced into labor and exploited by individuals or enterprises and, of those, 4.5 million are forced into sexual exploitation.
1 comment
The article is misleading. SB597 is a number used many times to amend parts of the education code in California. The bill submitted by Mrs. Leyva amends the code making victims of human traffic a protected class not required to have their personal information public. When a victim moves with their children to another district due to running from the abuser, the school district will not be allowed to give any public entity information on the family. The law is vague as to cooperation with warrants to search for this victim due to a crime. The “Safe at Home” program is a copycat of Wisconsin’s law passed in 2015. While this program is a tremendous help to victims, it is open to abuse by cunning people. An anti corruption investigator should be assigned to review the program. The only evidence you need to claim benefits is a police report number. No need for charges against the perpetrator, just a report of claim of victimization.
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