Supporters rally for bill curbing human trafficking

PROVIDENCE—Supporters of a bill aimed at curbing human and sex slave trafficking in Rhode Island took their message to the State House on Tuesday.

Members of the Rhode Island Coalition Against Human Trafficking rallied in favor of legislation now before the General Assembly.

Advocates have long argued that because indoor prostitution is not outlawed in the state, the sex slave trade is thriving and feeding brothels thinly disguised as “spas” and massage parlors.

Critics of previous attempts to close loopholes in state law have said that cracking down on indoor prostitution unfairly punishes victims instead of pimps and captors.