In California, vulnerable women and children are held against their will and forced into prostitution for the financial gain of human traffickers. Many victims are girls as young as 12.

Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal enterprises in the world and it’s happening right here on California’s streets and online where young girls are bought and sold.

A national study recently gave California an “F” grade on its laws dealing with child sex trafficking.

That’s why we need Proposition 35.

Proposition 35 will:

• Increase prison terms for human traffickers to hold these criminals accountable
• Require convicted human traffickers to register as sex offenders to prevent future crimes.
• Require all registered sex offenders to disclose their Internet accounts to stop the exploitation of children online
• Increase fines from convicted human traffickers and use these funds to pay for victims’ services so survivors can repair their lives.

Many sex trafficking victims are vulnerable children. They are afraid for their lives and abused: Sexually, physically and mentally.

The FBI recognizes three cities in California – Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego – as high intensity child sex trafficking areas. That’s why we need Prop. 35 to protect children from exploitation.

“Sex traffickers prey on the most vulnerable in our society. They get rich and throw their victims away. Prop. 35 will hold these criminals accountable. By passing (Proposition) 35, Californians will make a statement that we will not tolerate the sexual abuse of our children and that we stand with the victims of these horrible crimes,” says Nancy O’Malley, Alameda County District Attorney and national victims’ rights advocate.

The Internet provides traffickers with access to vulnerable children. Prop. 35 requires convicted sex offenders to provide information to authorities about their Internet presence, which will help protect our children and prevent human trafficking.

“As those on the front lines in the fight against human trafficking, we strongly urge ‘yes’ on (Proposition) 35 to help us prosecute sex traffickers and protect victims of sexual exploitation,” says Ron Cottingham, president, Peace Officers Research Association of California, representing 64,000 public safety members.

“Prop. 35 will protect children from human traffickers who profit from selling them on the street and online,” says Marc Klaas, crime victims’ advocate and father of Polly Klaas, who was kidnapped and killed in 1993.

“At 14, I ran away from a troubled home and into the clutches of a human trafficker. For years, I was trafficked and abused when I was still just a child. As a survivor of trafficking, I’m asking Californians to stand against sexual exploitation and vote ‘yes’ on 35,” says Leah Albright-Byrd, human trafficking survivor.

*(With some editing by California’s Capitol, this is the argument that will appear in the Voter Information Guide for November. The Legislative Analyst’s assessment of the proposition’s impact is here.)

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