Guess which governor the editors of the NY Times laud as a fighter against “human trafficking”:
Federal law enforcement tends to focus on the largest trafficking rings rather than local brothels and sweatshops, and federal efforts need bolstering in any case. But attempts over the last two years to pass anti-trafficking legislation in New York ended in failure. Assembly Democrats resisted imposing tough new criminal penalties, and the Republican Senate objected to providing services for trafficking victims. Given Albany’s penchant for partisan gridlock, the deadlock might have continued for many more years absent a muscular nudge from Gov. Eliot Spitzer. The result is being applauded by both prosecutors and victims’ advocates and will give the state one of the strongest anti-trafficking laws in the country.
A conviction for sex trafficking would bring a penalty of 3 to 25 years in prison while labor trafficking would be punishable by three to seven years. Coercing victims into prostitution by force would be treated as a felony sex trafficking offense, as would luring victims with promises of jobs or by providing them with illegal drugs. Language added at Mr. Spitzer’s behest also takes aim at “prostitution tourism,” clarifying that selling travel-related services to facilitate prostitution abroad is a felony.