Ft Worth Times

With COVID-19 circulating, sex trafficking could potentially spread the virus to thousands of individuals in the U.S.

Rochelle Keyhan, former prosecutor and writer for the Dallas Morning News, said more funding from the Trump Administration should go toward stopping sex trafficking. 

Since there is no national database for human trafficking, it can make it hard to prosecute sex traffickers, according the Dallas Morning News. They often cross state lines to avoid being caught. 

Only around 800 cases of sex trafficking are prosecuted each year in the nation, but there are over 18,000 police department in the U.S., the 2019 State Department U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report showed. 

But there are several proposals that could help the issue of the sex trafficking industry and prevent the spread of the coronavirus, Keyhan said in an article. 

One being to set up a collaborative database among police departments in the nation, Keyhan said. If sex traffickers cross state lines, this will help ensure that other police departments can continue to prosecute them. 

National sex trafficking hotlines could also create feedback loops, which will check on whether or not help was given in a referral. These loops would have the hotline call back the caller to determine what other help is needed to help them escape the trafficker. 

Currently, there isn’t any oversight of victims that reach out for help. When sex trafficking hotlines are called, most of the victims are referred to other agencies that aren’t able to help many of the victims. Installing a hotline followup, or loops, will help ensure these victims receive the help they need. 

Another proposal Keyhan gave was to fund social workers that help homeless youth. Providing more funding could help prevent these youth from experiencing the trauma of sex trafficking. Providing better oversight of foster homes can also help young avoid sex traffickers. 

Providing funding to the issue of sex trafficking can not only help prevent youths from being roped into the system, but it will prevent the spread of COVID-19 to thousands of individuals in the nation, Keyhan said in the article.