Yesterday the people of California passed Proposition 35, a ballot initiative intended to combat sex trafficking. As nice as that sounds, this article by Melissa Gira Grant explains why Prop 35 spells big civil rights trouble:
There is little evidence that strengthening criminal penalties and relying primarily on law enforcement are strategies to end forced labor; in fact, advocates who work with survivors of trafficking, as well as people involved in the sex trade and sex worker rights’ advocates, have documented the limitations and dangers of a “tough on crime” approach on trafficking.