Photo: chameleonseye / iStock / Getty Images
LOS ANGELES (CNS) - The Los Angeles City Council approved a motion Tuesday seeking to provide greater assistance to victims of human trafficking and help reduce the occurrence of the crime.
The council voted 14-0 to instruct the Los Angeles Police Department to report on existing resources, and ways to bolster those resources, to better support victims of human trafficking. Councilwoman Traci Park was absent during the vote.
The report is also expected to include should include recommendations on ways to reduce human trafficking.
Council members Monica Rodriguez and Park introduced the motion on Sept. 26.
According to the motion, human trafficking is a global issue that is estimated to be a $150 billion industry, and those crimes increase when there are events that "bring a global audience together."
Los Angeles has hosted national and international events, and the city is expected to host the 2026 World FIFA World Cup and the 2028 Summer Olympic Games. With that in mind, the two council members said the city needs to address trafficking with a heightened sense of urgency.
"As a city, we must ensure that our most vulnerable residents are safe and can be helped when they have become victims of predators seeking to keep them in a cycle of violence and poverty," the motion states.