Activists refer to human trafficking as “modern day slavery,” wherein people, often young and often female, are subjected into work, prostitution or other dehumanizing behavior. Michigan will be strengthening efforts to combat human trafficking in 2015. Twenty-one new laws are scheduled to take effect on January first.Activists are encouraged by the new laws, but they say awareness of human trafficking needs to be raised. That’s partly the aim of a conference scheduled for Saturday here at Michigan State University.
Current State talks with Jane White, director of the Michigan Human Trafficking Task Force in East Lansing, and Tom Peterson, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys Coordinating Council, a division of the office of the Attorney General of Michigan.