Commissioner Diaz is sponsoring legislation to crack down on human trafficking

MIAMI-DADE COUNTY – In an effort to help crack down on human trafficking in Miami-Dade County, Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz is joining Commissioner Sally A. Heyman in sponsoring an ordinance to require the posting of human trafficking public awareness signs at adult entertainment and certain massage or bodywork services establishments.

The proposed ordinance, which is scheduled for a vote at the Dec. 1 Board of County Commissioners meeting, is designed to enforce a recently adopted state law imposing a $500 fine on businesses that fail to comply with the posting requirement.

“Human trafficking is a form of slavery, and we must do everything we can to encourage victims of these heinous kinds of exploitation to come forward,” Commissioner Diaz said.

The proposed public awareness signs, which would appear in English, Spanish and Creole, would state:  “If you or someone you know is being forced to engage in an activity and cannot leave—whether it is prostitution, housework, farm work, factory work, retail work, restaurant work, or any other activity—call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center at 1-888-373-7888 or text INFO or HELP to 233-733 to access help and services. Victims of slavery and human trafficking are protected under United States and Florida Law.”

Human trafficking involves the exploitation of persons for commercial sex or forced labor and often subjects victims to force, fraud, and coercion. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center, a national hotline funded by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, received 1,428 phone calls and reported 364 human trafficking cases in 2014 in Florida alone.