OPINION: ELECTION 2012.
Cast your vote, choose your future.
This year’s ballot features 11 propositions up for the vote in California. These propositions have the potential to change the current role of government, from election laws to new taxes, and even food labeling. Before Californians vote, however, they must dig deeper than this brief voter guide to gain a true understanding of what each proposition actually proposes.
HUMAN SEX TRAFFICKING
A ballot measure that would crack down on human trafficking should be a landside, yes, but it is facing surprising opposition.
If approved, Proposition 35 would increase prison sentences and fines for human trafficking, require traffickers to register as sex offenders and make sex offenders disclose all Web activity.
The Erotic Service Provider Legal, Educational and Research Project, which consists of erotic dancers, prostitutes, and adult film performers, argue that their way of life could be criminalized.
But human trafficking focuses on force, fraud and coercion, making it clear that the victim is not a willing participant. They are not rewarded or paid to be violated and stripped of all decency when being forced to perform sexual acts.
ESPLERP hopes the proposition will fail so it won’t disrupt their flow of income from the adult industry. If it passes, pimps will now be considered sex offenders and must register as such.
According to the group, “Sex workers do not want to be forced out of work via criminal laws a … sex workers demand a voice,” but this is simply not the case under Proposition 35.
Human trafficking is a multibillion-dollar industry with no intention of slowing down. This proposition should pass because it focuses on victims who are caught in a horrific industry. A “yes” vote shows they haven’t been forgotten.
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