As reported in the Gazette.net, Prince George’s County Councilwoman Karen Toles is seeking local legislation to address human trafficking.   According to the Gazette.net, Prince George’s County is part of a zone of human tracking in the District of Columbia area.  Its proximity to major highways, mass transit options and housing that can serve to house and rapidly move people makes it particularly susceptible to the crime.

Human trafficking is used to form networks of child prostitution, forced domestic servitude, and human organ harvesting, as described in the article.  One advocate expressed how the problem is tied to other social issues, and can be difficult to detect.

People who lack community, family or social support tend to be at a higher risk of falling victim to exploitative practices, said Jeanne Allert, founder and executive director of Samaritan Women, a Baltimore-based charity that works with those impacted by human exploitation and trafficking.

“What we have is a challenge in our modern day slavery era,” she said. “We can’t see the shackles.”

For more information, see the complete article from the Gazette.net.