Even as new laws sponsored by Illinois House Republicans were enacted this year to help survivors of human trafficking, the ill-conceived Safe-T Act, passed by Illinois Democrats, is keeping traffickers out of jail pending trials after their arrests, giving them the opportunity to target new victims.

Last week, news outlets reported that six men were arrested by the Illinois State Police (ISP) for allegedly attempting to engage in commercial sex acts with underage individuals in McLean County. According to Bloomington’s 25 News, only one of the six remains behind bars until their trials.

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that occurs in every state, including Illinois. Statistics show that Illinois ranks in the top 10 nationwide in human trafficking cases. In 2021, the National Human Trafficking Hotline identified 243 cases in Illinois, with 355 victims reported. Human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. These acts involve victims of all ages, races and genders, and the victims can be lured into these situations by violence, manipulation, false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships.

Human trafficking victims’ advocates have hailed Illinois' action as a major step toward combatting human trafficking.

In January 2019, new laws took effect in Illinois that provide creative relief to human trafficking victims. These laws expand victims’ ability to bring civil lawsuits against their trafficker and provide financial incentives to cooperate with police investigations of human traffickers.

Human trafficking is one of the most under reported crimes, but according to UNICEF U.S.A., it is also the second largest crime industry in the world.

Among the human trafficking cases, according to the Human Trafficking Hotline, the vast majority of those cases are sex trafficking. The hotline also reports there have been 4,460 cases reported in the states for the first half of 2017. Among those cases, 3,698 of those affected were female, 607 were male and 53 were identified as gender minorities.

According to the hotline, Illinois ranks 10th for the number of reported cases in the states for the first half of 2017 with 100 cases, following Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Of the 100 cases, 83 of those affected were female. Read more.

State Representative Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) is one of three House Republicans who will serve on a newly-created Human Trafficking Task Force in Illinois.

The bipartisan and bicameral task force, created through Public Act 99-0864, will consist of 12 members of the General Assembly, a representative from the Chicago Regional Human Trafficking Task Force and the Director of the State Police or a designee of the Director’s choosing. The group will conduct a study on the human trafficking problem in Illinois and will hold hearings to help develop a state plan to address the growing issue. Read more.

State Representative Sheri Jesiel (R-Winthrop Harbor) spoke at an event at the Illinois State Capitol on April 28th that brought together more than 20 organizations that fight human trafficking to not only honor these heroes, but also to help them advocate for their cause. The event served as a means to increase public awareness of this terrible crime, to improve coordination between government agencies, law enforcement, and independent groups, and to honor the heroes who fight it every day.

Oped by Rep. Barbara Wheeler.

Last fall, I reported progress on halting an appalling practice that is much closer to home than most of us realize, human-trafficking. Human-trafficking is a modern-day version of slavery that is thriving in the United States and sadly, in some our own communities. Every day, human beings are bought, sold, or smuggled so that others can profit from their forced labor or sexual servitude. While every state criminalizes at least some forms of trafficking activity, legislators across the nation continue to explore new ways to combat traffickers and provide support for victims.

Most of us are unaware, but human-trafficking is a lucrative business right here in northern Illinois. In this area, human traffickers are using the massage parlor industry as a cover and method for connecting sex-trade customers with mostly East Asian women, both documented and undocumented, who are being forced to perform sex acts. Operators of these parlors locate in communities where zoning laws do not specifically address licensure, lighting, dress codes, and hours of operation for massage parlors. Read more.

U.S. Rep. James Mann (R-Chicago)
introduced the first legislation to
take on the issue of human trafficking.
He also was a leader in the fight
for granting the vote to women.

Declaring that “the time is right, the people are ready,” U.S. Rep. James Mann (R-Chicago) put before the U.S. House of Representatives the proposed 19^th Amendment to the Constitution, which stated that, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State on account of sex.” That day in May 1919 was to be the culmination of the life’s work of the Illinoisan and former House Republican Leader, who dedicated his professional career to fighting for causes which we take for granted today.

James Robert Mann was born in Bloomington and educated at the University of Illinois and the Union College of Law, now known as Northwestern, before being admitted to the bar in Chicago in 1881. He served on the board of education and the Chicago City Council, and was chairman of the Republican state convention in 1894. Mann began his congressional career in 1896, winning election to the House, where he would serve until his death in 1922.