Mass. panel issues report on human trafficking

BOSTON (AP) — A report says Massachusetts needs to provide more safe houses and other services for victims of human trafficking as part of a comprehensive plan to address the sex trade.

A 19-member human trafficking task force created under a 2011 law that increased penalties for human trafficking released its findings on Monday.

Attorney General Martha Coakley , who chaired the panel, called human trafficking a "brutal and dehumanizing crime," but one that is lucrative business for its purveyors.

Among the recommendations is the establishment of safe houses that could provide short and long-term housing and other services to young victims trying to escape sexual exploitation.

The report also seeks to reduce demand for trafficking by creating a so-called "John school" for first-time buyers of sexual services.

Cox Media Group