Senator Roth Leads Charge to Bring Parents into Human Trafficking Fight

(SACRAMENTO) – Today, California took another step in the ongoing fight against human trafficking. SB 1104 – which will require schools to share human trafficking prevention resources with parents and guardians – cleared the Senate Education Committee with unanimous support.

“Human traffickers force their victims to hide what’s happening to them,” said Senator Richard D. Roth (D-Riverside). “Parents and guardians play such an important role in this fight because they are more adept – than possibly a teacher or law enforcement officer – at identifying sudden changes in behavior, depression, unexplained cash, fake identification, or signs of abuse.”

Senate President pro Tempore Toni Atkins echoed the importance of SB 1104 saying, “I thank Senator Roth for his leadership on human trafficking. Sharing information is key to stopping these terrible crimes against vulnerable Californians, and SB 1104 is a big step in the right direction. It’s a great companion to my bill, SB 945, which aims to fight human trafficking with increased awareness in hotels and motels. With schools, parents, businesses and law enforcement working together, we can make real progress.”

California leads the nation with the most reported cases of human trafficking. While state lawmakers have passed important bills over the years that require teachers and students to be provided information related to this insidious crime; we have not included parents and guardian. SB 1104 would fix that missing link.

Senator Roth continued: “While we all want California to be number one, we don’t want to be the national leader in human trafficking cases.”

# # #

Senator Richard D. Roth represents the 31st State Senate District, which includes the communities of Corona, Eastvale, Jurupa Valley, March Air Reserve Base, Moreno Valley, Norco, Perris and Riverside. Prior to his election, he served for 32 years in the United States Air Force, retiring in 2007 in the grade of Major General.