I have found some great people who are very aware and concerned about the human trafficking situation here in the Midwest, and Nebraska Senator Amanda McGill and her staff are some of the very people that I am speaking about. Facing, what I would deem to be constant obstacles trying to pass legislation to help protect our children- this aspect of the bill (LB 255) is an example of what I am speaking about.
Normal, healthy juveniles do not sell themselves into prostitution, but rather victims come from broken homes and abuse and are generally coerced and often forced into it. Many times forced into drug use, the victims are often beat, terrorized, isolated, and used until they can’t be used anymore. It is funny that earlier in the life of this bill Senator Ernie Chambers argued against the stronger penalties posed for offenders of pimping kids that this bill had in it, and now the fight is keeping up the legal penalties for the victims- which has been indicative of how different pedophiles are treated compared to the victims in Nebraska, who has a history of throwing the book at victims while giving the offenders a slap on the wrist, (just look at Alecia Owen and how she was treated in comparison to Alan Baer and his counts of pandering to a minor to see what I am talking about). Victims, esp. juvenile victims, need treatment and hope- not incarceration, although I must admit that treatment doesn’t pay our officials as much money as prisons- which could be the reason why we have as many people in jail that we do.
People such as Amanda McGill and her group of advocates need to be supported- and this bill, although only touching the tip of the iceberg- is at least a start in the right direction, and for the Governor to veto it only shows that there is a propensity to dismiss and disregard situations dealing with human trafficking and the psychological hold, among other things, that the perpetrators have on their victims. Child victims need HELP and they need to be offered HOPE- not be jailed so that they continue to be treated as objects- like animals who are of no value. It is time that we begin to hold the REAL people BEHIND these activities responsible and stop scapegoating the very ones who need our help the most.
If you wish to help with this- please call the Governor of Nebraska at Office of the Governor
P.O. Box 94848
Lincoln, NE 68509-4848
Phone: 402-471-2244
Fax: 402-471-6031
And tell Dave Heineman that LB 255 needs to pass as is- to show that Nebraska no longer has propensities to support rich child trafficking pedophiles while at the same time demonstrating the compassion that we should all have for the child victims of this awful mess. It is only right!