RAPID CITY, S.D. – January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, and people across the Mount Rushmore State are doing their part to raise awareness of the topic.
At the state level, South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley announced he would be proposing a bill this legislative session focusing on revising current provisions to prohibit the obstruction of human trafficking enforcement. In other words, he wants to make it easier to fight human trafficking.
Jackley says large events like the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, coupled with South Dakota’s open hunting seasons that attracts sportsmen from across the country, make trafficking a real problem throughout the state, and he has proposed a way to help alleviate the issue.
“Molding the state law and the federal law together, I think, is beneficial in better protecting victims, better at holding offenders accountable, and it will help our task forces. We have joint task forces out in Rapid City, and the Internet Crimes Against Children is very strong. We do the motorcycle rally. It’s frankly more effective, and it would be fairer to those suspects,” Jackley said.
On the local level, the organization Freedom’s Journey will be holding its Freedom Expo in Rapid City. Director Tess Franzen says it’s important to spread awareness on the topic right in their own backyard.
“Right here in Western South Dakota, this is a problem here. There are young people in our schools being trafficked right now. There are children and adults in our neighborhoods being trafficked. The more aware a community is the better educated they are, the better we’re able to combat it and the harder it is for traffickers to operate,” Franzen said.
For anyone wanting to become more aware of human trafficking prevention, attend the Freedom Expo on Jan. 18 at the Holiday Inn Rushmore Plaza from one to four p.m. or click here to learn more about Freedom’s Journey.
