AG Griffin lands $100,000 grant to fight human trafficking

Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced Thursday (May 8) that his office has secured a $100,000 grant to help with efforts to curb international human trafficking.

Griffin, who recently attended a conference in Rome and the Vatican City, said the forum was an international meeting to combat human trafficking.

“I recently attended a bipartisan attorney general conference in Rome and Vatican City – at no cost to taxpayers – organized by the Attorney General Alliance focused on fighting human trafficking around the world,” said Griffin. “While there, I was able to secure a $100,000 grant to help the state address these horrible crimes, and I met a number of experts who specialize in combating illicit massage parlors and one with extensive knowledge of the Andrew Tate case. I have invited some of these experts to conduct training and share their insights with us in Arkansas.”

The grant came from the Attorney General Alliance, a bipartisan, nonprofit group of state attorneys general in the United States that was founded in 1982.

“We are the most effective in our fight against international human trafficking right here in Arkansas when we are maximizing relationships, sharing information, and learning best practices,” Griffin added.

In the recent legislative session, two laws – Act 484 and Act 366 – were enacted that centered on human trafficking.

Act 484 adds places that must display information about the national human trafficking hotline. Some of those places include restrooms in existing businesses already required to post the hotline information. It also adds nail salons to a list that includes hotels and motels, strip clubs, train and bus stations, and other establishments.

Act 366 adds a five-year enhanced sentence to human traffickers who recruit people to traffic.

Griffin launched last year a national human trafficking summit in Little Rock aimed at raising awareness and bringing together leaders to address the issue.

According to a report from the International Labour Organization, Walk Free, and the International Organization for Migration, there were 27.6 million reported global human trafficking cases in 2021. Of those 6.3 million were sexual exploitation victims.