New Jersey works to curb ‘huge’ sex trafficking problem before Super Bowl

[bemildred]

Law enforcement agents in New Jersey have redoubled efforts to fight what they worry could be one of the biggest menaces to come with next month’s Super Bowl: sex trafficking.

Hundreds of thousands of visitors are expected to descend on New Jersey for the Feb. 2 football game. Many believe the state’s sprawling highway system, proximity to New York City and diverse population make it an attractive base of operations for traffickers.

“New Jersey has a huge trafficking problem,” said U.S. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., who is also co-chairman of the House anti-human trafficking caucus. “One Super Bowl after another after another has shown itself to be one of the largest events in the world where the cruelty of human trafficking goes on for several weeks.”

Law enforcement in New Jersey has worked for years to battle forced prostitution. The state strengthened its human trafficking law in early 2013, but it hit a roadblock in August when a federal judge ruled that a portion of the law that pertains to commercial sex ads posted online may conflict with federal legislation. The state is appealing.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/new-jersey-works-to-curb-huge-sex-trafficking-problem-before-super-bowl/article16203144/

[Recursion]

1. The US is #2 in human trafficking, just after India

Now, nobody is going to "beat" India in absolute terms, but even per capita, the US is shamefully close.

Anything that sheds light on this problem is a good thing.

[JustAnotherGen]

2. Say what one will about NJ -

We try . . . And we have a lot of good people here. Thanks for posting this. I don't know that they will be successful but at least they have been warned.

[bemildred]

3. It's a UK tabloid. I'm sure NJ will struggle through this crisis.

When has the Stupor Bowl ever been anything else?

[JustAnotherGen]

4. I don't know

I lived in Somerset County until October. Down the road from me there were two serious busts for this in late August/early September.

I now live in Flemington - the county seat of Hunterdon - the 6th wealthiest in the country. I have also made friends with our police commissioner - and at a Christmas Party had should I say . . . A "chilling" convo about our community.

Christie is a jackass of the highest order. So are the people who voted for him. <--- Yeah - I went there. But in something like human slavery - those jackasses get right with the human condition pretty damn quick.

This won't solve the problem - but it's good to know eyes will be on it. If just one woman gets saved - the eyes will be successful.

The underground railroad's success is not measured by the millions left behind - it's measured by those few who got away.

[bemildred]

5. Oh, human trafficing, in all its many forms. is a big problem.

But not specific to sports or the sex business or New Jersey.

It's people who don't like to pay other people fairly for their services that are the problem. People who think coercion is a good way to make other people do what you want. People who think coercion and manipulation are a good way to get rich. Crooked people.

Christie is just another corrupt political hack. We got a million.

[hobbit709]

6. Every year, every Superbowl, and never any figures to back it up.

Sex trafficking is a problem but there is no big explosion of it during the stuperbowl.

[ChazII]

7. From Snopes

http://www.snopes.com/sports/football/escort.asp

According to snopes it is a myth.

That being said, an acquaintance of mine had a 16 year old daughter who was kidnapped and forced into prostitution. One of the places her daughter was forced to 'work' was one of the Super Bowls. Her daughter was found and brought home but later committed suicide.

It would make for interesting reading the sources that are listed at the bottom of the article.

[JustAnotherGen]

8. That is horrific

[ChazII]

9. Horrific is the perfect word.

The daughter was found just over a year after the kidnapping. She had a totally different personality according to the mom and first did not want to leave the pimp. She was beaten if she did not collect her quota (?) of money and when she did get the amount she wasn't allowed to keep very much if at all. Again, I just want to say I heard this from the mom.

Thank you for your understanding.

[Iggo]

10. Blah blah blah Super Bowl blah blah blah hookers.

Every.Damn.Year.

[salin]

11. It led to a big "clean up" in Indy last year

in otherwords, replace all the homeless in the area in police sweeps - needed due to the 'hooker/trafficking' problem.

[yellowcanine]

12. Maybe Christie could shut down a tunnel or two to stop the sex traffickers.

They said it was for a "traffic study" - just didn't say what kind of traffic.