Frederick County proposes bill to help sex trafficking numbers

Skyler Sales
·1 min read

FREDERICK COUNTY, Md. (DC News Now) — Frederick County is taking another step toward making the county safer from sex trafficking crimes.

The county proposed the Bodyworks Bill, which would strengthen the county’s regulation around businesses, like spas and massage parlors to provide detailed information about their business.

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“They’ll be sending basic information about their business, the employees that are within their business, the owners of the business, and then any of the licenses and state requirements that they need for the professional service that they are providing,” Director of Government Affairs, Victoria Venable, said.

Inga James is the Executive Director of the Heartly House in Frederick, and she says she knows firsthand how impactful this legislation can be for preventing more victims of human trafficking.

“I think that it creates a shell around Frederick because if you’re a business, that has nefarious goals, you’re not going to want to work or move to a county where you’re going to be trapped and the government is going to know what business you run and what your employees are doing,” James said.

She said that although she feels the new legislation is a good first step, she hopes more funding for resources for survivors of sex trafficking will also be considered.

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“We don’t have any offerings, any services to provide the people that are actually doing the work or being exploited in some way,” James said. “So we need more bills to come to ensure that we’re not turning trafficking victims onto the streets.”

The Bodyworks Bill is expected to be voted on next month by the county council.

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