With California ranked as one of the states with the worst problems of human trafficking, Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday signed a raft of seven bills aimed at improving prosecution of the crime, whose victims are often forced into prostitution, domestic servitude and sweatshop labor.
A 2012 report by the
The governor approved a bill by Sen.
"Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery," Mitchell said in a statement in support of SB 955. "The victims are frequently children of color and young women who have been forced into prostitution. They need our help."
Brown also signed a Mitchell bill that allows sex trafficking prevention education in California's public schools. That bill is SB 1165.
Fines will be increased from $20,000 to $25,000 for people convicted of placing a minor into prostitution or furnishing a minor to another person for sex under legislation signed by the governor from Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance). His SB 1388 also allows mandatory penalties of two days to a year in jail for people convicted of knowingly soliciting a minor for prostitution.