County of Santa Clara creates human trafficking commission

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CA—The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors today voted to create a Human Trafficking Commission, which will serve to coordinate government and community efforts to eliminate human trafficking.

Commenting of the action, Supervisor Cindy Chavez said, "Human trafficking denies many County residents basic human dignities and strains the County's safety net by increasing the need for law enforcement to combat the issue." Chavez further noted, "Innovative solutions and improved collaboration between governmental entities and the community are sorely needed."

With the end this summer of the grant money funding the work of the San Jose Police Department with regards to human trafficking and the coming of the 2016 Super Bowl, Supervisor Cindy Chavez, District Attorney Jeff Rosen and Sheriff Laurie Smith believe now is time for Santa Clara County to create a Human Trafficking Commission to coordinate government and community efforts.

"The critical work that will be done by this commission will help to protect the victims of human trafficking and bring their victimizers to justice," said Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith.

The U.S. State Department defines trafficking as the "act of recruiting, harboring, transporting, providing, or obtaining a person for compelled labor or commercial sex acts through the use of force, fraud, or coercion." Trafficking includes slavery, forced labor, debt bondage, and commercial sexual exploitation. Internationally, there are an estimated 20.9 million victims of human trafficking. As many as 100,000 American children are trafficked each year.

Most of the reporting calls to the National Human Trafficking Hotline come from California, and the Bay Area is said to be a top destination point for trafficked victims. The Bay Area's major harbors and airports, its robust industries, increasing economy and population, and its large immigrant population make it an attractive place for human trafficking.