MN Girls Not For Sale

Georgia

MNGirlsNFS — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:33:24 +0000

ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION (6/18/13), “Ga. man sentenced on sex trafficking charges” — U.S. Attorney’s officials say a metro Atlanta man has been sentenced to 10 years in prison on sex trafficking charges. Officials said Monday that 30-year-old Demario Hillmon, of Douglasville, Ga. was sentenced for his involvement in transporting a minor across state lines for prostitution. Read more.

South Dakota

MNGirlsNFS — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 14:32:21 +0000

ARGUS LEADER (6/17/13), “Sioux Falls man sentenced to 10 years for attempting to pay for sex with minors” — A Sioux Falls man who was convicted of sex trafficking after attempting to pay for sex with two 14-year-old girls was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday. Read more.

Texas

MNGirlsNFS — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 13:33:34 +0000

DALLAS MORNING NEWS (6/17/13), “” — Jasmine Johnson wasn’t in court Monday when a Dallas County jury voted to send her to prison for 25 years for forcing two 16-year-old runaways to turn tricks in exchange for living at her Pleasant Grove home. Johnson, 22, left court with permission Friday during a lunch break after she was convicted of two counts of child sex trafficking and two counts of compelling prostitution. Read more.

Alaska

MNGirlsNFS — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 16:34:33 +0000

FAIRBANKS DAILY NEWS-MINER (6/12/13), “Alaska Gov. Parnell signs bill to fight sex trafficking” — The secrecy also has made it difficult to fight, especially in the small, rural communities that many of the conference-goers serve in a wide number of roles. It thus was a good first step, Moreno said, to see Gov. Sean Parnell begin the conference day by signing a sweeping bill aimed at combating sex crimes in Alaska. Read more.

Child sex trafficking is a Minnesota public health issue

MNGirlsNFS — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 15:01:54 +0000

Here’s the deal: If the Legislature had committed $7 million of the $13.5 million sought for the “No Wrong Door” program, we — the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota — would have made a $1 million grant to the effort. Lawmakers left our $1 million on the table, but we and our statewide partners are committed to keeping the pressure on both public and private funding sources. WE’RE GOING TO GET THIS DONE!

Huge thanks to the Star Tribune Opinion for helping us keep the drum beating and pressure on for full funding for specialized, safe, secure shelter and trauma treatment appropriate for child sex-trafficking victims.

Thanks to them, too, for pointing out that this is a DIFFERENT population of children than homeless youth and therefore requires DIFFERENT housing and treatment services than what’s needed for homeless youth. No “one size fits all” works in this case. Read the article here.

Oregon

MNGirlsNFS — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:01:04 +0000

THE REGISTER-GUARD (6/10/13), “Bill targets those who buy sex from minors” — The Oregon Legislature is considering a bill that would toughen penalties for people who solicit sex from underage prostitutes as part of a broader push to crack down on child sex trafficking in the state. Read more.

Nevada

MNGirlsNFS — Mon, 10 Jun 2013 15:00:10 +0000

KOLO NEWS NOW(6/6/13), “Governor Signs Major Anti-Sex Trafficking Bill” – Sex trafficking is being defined in Nevada’s statutes for the first time in state history, and the penalties for associated crimes just got tougher. Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval signed AB67 into law Thursday with Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto looking on. Read more.

Louisiana

MNGirlsNFS — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 15:03:59 +0000

THE TIMES-PICAYUNE (6/4/13), “Bill creating fund for sex trafficking victims heads to governor” — Legislation to create a fund dedicated to help victims of sex trafficking and to require convicted perpetrators of child trafficking to pay their victims restitution cleared its final legislative hurdle Tuesday. Read more.

Man beat 15-year-old girl brought to Twin Cities to be a prostitute, police say

MNGirlsNFS — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:58:06 +0000

PIONEER PRESS, Richard Chin (6/4/13) — After the 15-year-old refused to prostitute herself again for Arteco Marvell Rhodes, the 38-year-old Chicago man beat her with a baseball bat, strangled her, urinated on her and threatened to kill her and burn her body or throw it in the river, according to a criminal complaint filed in Ramsey County District Court. Read more.

Senior Hopkins High School Cheerleader Charged with Prostituting 16-Year-Old Cheerleader

MNGirlsNFS — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 14:56:44 +0000

HOPKINS PATCH, James Warden (6/4/13) — An 18-year-old Maple Grove woman, a senior on the Hopkins cheerleading team, is accused of trafficking a 16-year-old Hopkins High School cheerleader by placing an ad on Backpage.com and convincing her to prostitute herself. Read more.