Human trafficking in central New York is on the rise, according to Rep. John Katko (R-Camillus). That was one of the takeaways at a roundtable discussion on security Thursday in Syracuse.
Katko says more and more women are being exploited by human trafficking in central New York. And he’s concerned about reports that some new players are becoming involved.
"One of the things I learned is the ties from a lot of the prostitution and sexual exploitation from gangs which is something that I really didn’t know. I was a gang prosecutor for a long time, and that’s a new thing," said Katko.
Katko wants to bring more attention to the issue of human trafficking. And he says while there has been legislation passed meant to prevent human trafficking in the last year in Congress, it focused mostly on international issues. He says more should be done on the domestic front. Katko believes bringing police together with the agencies that are dealing with the victims of human trafficking is one important step the can be taken.
