WFWP SAN FRANCISCO BAY CHAPTER CO-SPONSORS FORUM ON HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING

More than 40 people gathered at the Sura Korean Restaurant in Oakland, California to attend the March monthly Dinner Forum of the UNA USA East Bay Chapter which was co-sponsored by WFWP. The featured speaker was Daphne Phong, founder and CEO of California Against Slavery, a non-profit organization working to stop sex trafficking. Ms Phong gave an overview of what is happening in California in the area of sex trafficking emphasizing that it isn't just that people are being brought in from overseas but that American children are being forced into sex slavery at a growing rate. She explained that because of weak laws in California related to this crime, the practice is growing at a rapid rate. In fact, Ms Phong explained that sex trafficking is the second fastest growing business in the world. Her talk was followed by questions and answers.

CAS is now gathering signatures to put an initiative on the ballot in November that would strengthen the Californian laws and also protect the victims. The initiative includes increasing fines and jail time for the perpetrators, mandating training for law enforcement, requiring sex trafficker to register as sex offenders and disclose their email accounts, among other things. Some WFWP members are participating as volunteers in the campaign to gather signatures.