January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and this is an issue I have focused on in my time in Augusta. Together with my colleagues in the State House, as well as numerous caring professionals, religious institutions and volunteers, we have increased awareness of these crimes statewide.

Modern-day slavery victimizes over 27 million people worldwide, making human trafficking a global concern that affects the United States on federal, state and local levels. In 2012, human trafficking became the second fastest growing criminal activity in the United States, following drug trafficking.

During my time in Augusta, sex trafficking arrests have been made right in Gorham and I have met a number of survivors, some as young as my own children, others older than I am. It’s heartbreaking, but by working together and recognizing the warning signs, we are identifying more victims, curbing demand and bringing abusers to justice.

Each legislative session I have sponsored or co-sponsored legislation to protect victims of trafficking and hold traffickers accountable for their crimes; much of that legislation has been successfully passed. This year, I have two pending pieces of legislation: LD 951, “An Act to Adopt the Uniform Act on Prevention of and Remedies for Human Trafficking” and LD 1740, “An Act to Establish the Crimes of Criminal Forced Labor and Aggravated Criminal Forced Labor in the Maine Criminal Code.”

LD 951 will further increase public awareness through strategic signage. It will also expand the affirmative defense I passed a few years ago to include related crimes. Lastly, it will hold businesses accountable if they knowingly engage in trafficking. LD 1740 would better support law enforcement and prosecutors by naming forced labor as a crime, which in turn will help victims in their recovery and bring more offenders to justice.

Another somewhat related bill I have sponsored is LD 1771, “An Act to Stabilize Vulnerable Families.” We know that children who experience extreme stress or upheaval are much more likely to become victims of human trafficking as they mature or even before they are grown.

Sadly, due to the opioid epidemic, too many Maine children are growing up in unstable and even frightening environments. In order to save this silent generation, we must find treatment solutions for their parents.

The McAuley Residence in Portland is an example of an antidote that works. In this program, addicted mothers are provided stable housing and a comprehensive array of support services that allow for recovery and reunification with children by treating the entire family system.

LD 1771 would re-direct funding to build on this successful model. Ultimately, we would like to pilot several housing-based programs, each providing coordinated care in a holistic approach to recovery for vulnerable families affected by opioid dependence.

There are no shortcuts to successful recovery and when there are children involved, we need to ensure that their lives are stabilized and the cycle of dependency and victimization broken. Comprehensive treatment such as what McAuley Residence has been delivering for 30 years results in long-term stability and permanent economic security.

My heart aches when I hear of children who have been taken from their parents and bounced around the foster care system. It breaks when I hear of a child finding a parent overdosed. Every child is precious, but in the oldest state in the country, we cannot afford to allow a single child’s life to be turned upside down and destroyed by their parents’ dependency. It is time to prioritize the next generation and invest in Maine’s future.