DES MOINES, Iowa — This week, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds signed HF 630 into law. The bill increases penalties for people found guilty of human trafficking.
"Human trafficking is a vile form of modern-day slavery and in Iowa, we won’t tolerate it," Reynolds said. "The bill signed today increases penalties for both labor and sex trafficking, and criminals found guilty of trafficking children under 18 will serve up to life in prison.”
In 2021, roughly 22% of Iowa's human trafficking victims were minors, according to the most recent data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
Traffickers come in all forms, but often rely on existing relationships with victims, according to Patrick Waymire, assistant director of the Iowa Division of Intelligence and Fusion Center.
"It could be a family member exploiting another family member, because they already have that trust," Waymire said.
In addition to abusing family relationships, Waymire says traffickers use social media to lure in young people.
"They'll brag about how much money they have, they'll brag about how big the cars that they have, they'll brag about other things that they've gained through the business," Waymire said.
Catching these criminals in the act isn't always easy, especially with a busy summer approaching.
"That actually makes it harder for law enforcement in the public to identify human trafficking because you have normal families that are traveling," Waymire said. "It just increases the amount of people coming through the hotels, that increases the amount of people that are going to different events."
More than 21,000 lodging employees in Iowa have been trained to identify and report trafficking. Waymire says every tip goes a long way in bringing these criminals into the light and off our streets.
"It's been very beneficial, because our tips have gone up, but the quality of tips have even been better for us to do something about it," Waymire said.
You can report trafficking by calling the national hotline at 888-373-7888, or by texting HELP to 233733. You can also report it on the Iowa Offfice to Combat Human Trafficking Website.