(The Center Square) – An effort underway in Springfield aims to better identify victims of human trafficking.
Based on recommendations from the Joint Human Trafficking Working Group, with input from over 60 stakeholders and state agencies, proposed legislation in Senate Bill 2323 would establish a strategic plan to build a network of services for trafficking survivors.
The bill’s sponsor, state Sen. Julie Morrison, D-Lake Forest, said human trafficking is happening all around Illinois.
“Whether it’s a massage parlor in Springfield, or whether it is labor practices in Chicago, human trafficking is everywhere and it’s often a hidden crime,” Morrison said during a press conference Wednesday.
Morrison said Illinois is a transportation hub so human trafficking is a major problem.
“Illinois ranks among the highest in the number of human trafficking cases in the whole United States,” said Morrison. “Within Illinois alone, the National Human Trafficking Hotline has identified more than 5,600 victims since 2007, but that is probably just a drop in the bucket.”
The measure would expand training for staff in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services and other state agencies to help identify and assist victims, with an emphasis on youth in state care.
Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said to combat human trafficking, it must be brought out into the open.
“Labor and sex trafficking exists in Illinois but victims are not identified as well as they should be and crimes often go unreported,” said Kelly. “It is important to have a comprehensive, statewide trauma-informed response that encompasses those who may have come in contact with individuals who are being trafficked, such as law enforcement, child services, case workers, treatment providers and others.”
The ISP Trafficking Enforcement Bureau conducted seven human trafficking demand suppression operations in 2024, resulting in 31 arrests and 90 criminal charges.
The legislation would also remove the 25-year time limit for victims to bring a lawsuit against their abuser, allowing survivors who were trafficked as minors to seek justice at any point in their healing process.
