Actress Mira Sorvino Speaks at Forum on Human Trafficking

RANCHO CORDOVA - Human trafficking is a serious crime that can be found in the Sacramento area and requires not just law enforcement but also community participation to combat, panelists said Tuesday at a Congressional field briefing that included Academy Award-winning actress Mira Sorvino.

US Rep. Dan Lungren (R-Gold River) hosted the hearing at Rancho Cordova City Hall to highlight the fact that Sacramento's convergence of interstate highways and large immigrant population has made it a leading destination for sex traffickers.

In 2006, Sacramento was named the city with the second highest rate of child prostitution in the US, according to FBI statistics, Lungren said. FBI officials later established a working group in the area to address child expolitation.

Human trafficking is a hidden crime, officials said, and accurate statistics for communities including Carmichael, Elk Grove, Fair Oaks and Rosemont are difficult to calculate.

"I did not know Sacramento was a boomtown for this issue," said Sorvino, whose film credits include "Mighty Aphrodite" and "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion." "This is a crime that represents the worst evil there is, that doesn't spare children."

Sorvino, who is also a United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for anti-human trafficking efforts, said she supports S.596, the Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2011. The bill was introduced by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and John Cornyn (R-TX).

Lungren has previously held local human trafficking forums in February and April of 2010. After the second forum, Truckee Police chief Nicholas Sensley helped form a multi-agency anti-trafficking task force.

"These are victims that demand a proactive response; This is a crime that demands a victim-centered response," Sensley said. "This affects every community...but law enforcement is only part of a full-time response."

Jenny Williamson, founder of Courage To Be You and Courage House, a Sacramento-based Christian international non-profit group that helps victims of sex trafficking, said she agrees.

"The government is not responsible for taking care of these kids," Williamson said. "We are."

Area resident Vicki Zito recounted how her developmentally-disabled daughter was kidnapped and used for sex trafficking.

"I tell my story because staying silent is an injustice to victims and allows the perpetrators to win."

US Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner (R-Wisc.), who was instrumental in the passing of the Child Abduction and Prevention Act and introduced the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act, praised local efforts Tuesday.

"Sacramento is leading the nation in getting at child sex trafficking," Sensenbrenner said.

Lungren said he is working on an international Megan's Law to require registered sex offenders to provide notice of overseas travel.

"(Locally) a major portion of this (trafficking) is homegrown," he said. "We're trying to break that mold."

Other speakers Tuesday were U.S. Attorney Ben Wagner; Herbert Brown, special agent in charge of the Sacramento FBI office and Cmdr. Timothy Johnstone of the Sacramento Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center and human trafficking task force specialist.