Rhode Island is one step further on the way to outlawing prostitution. Last week the RI House voted 62 to 8 to close a loophole that allows for legal prostitution, if such acts occur indoors.
Led by the steadfast determination of Representative Joanne Giannini (D-Providence) the bill would ensure that prostitution and the solicitation of sex “regardless of the time, place or location” can now be prosecuted.
The legal loophole which has provided for legal prostitution has long contributed to the morally unacceptable practice of human trafficking.
The public embarrassment and moral scandal of legal prostitution is one step closer to elimination in the Ocean State as the bill now goes to the State Senate.
This is only a first step on the way to removing the great evil of human trafficking where individuals are forced into prostitution. Representative Giannini and Senator Rhoda Perry (D-Providence) continue their fight to eradicate the barbaric practice of sexual slavery and stiffen the penalties for those who engage in human trafficking.
The members of the RI House of Representatives, especially Representative Giannini are to be commended for their efforts to end the shameful scandal of legal prostitution. However, we remind all the members of the General Assembly that this is just one small step to stopping the scourge of our state that is human trafficking.
