From small steps to big strides
An anti-trafficking measure is on its way to the Governor's desk, as a private ministry offers housing and hope to survivors of sex trafficking.
Human trafficking is a bad thing. Agreed? Okay. Now try putting specific public policies in place to address that fact. It can be achingly difficult work. That’s why I’m cheering for a bill that is quietly making its way to Governor Kelly Ayotte’s desk. It’s been a long time coming.
A small step forward
“Relative to licensing requirements for massage therapy establishments” is a yawner of a title for the bill numbered HB 1469. There’s a lively intention behind it. It’s aimed at phony “massage parlors” that are fronts for sex trafficking. House and Senate conferees recently agreed on language for the bill, and so its path is cleared for consideration by the governor.
The New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police came out in favor of this bill, recognizing how hard it can be to shut such establishments down. This bill takes an administrative approach by requiring state-supervised licensure of massage establishments, with standards for licensing. Owners failing to get a license could be charged with a misdemeanor.
One law addressing one aspect of one type of human trafficking seems like a small step. But it is a step.
Persistence required
I was once among the speakers at a conference called “Human Trafficking: Hidden in Plain Sight,” offered at Plymouth State University for students preparing to enter health and human services fields. We heard from nurses, law enforcement officers, victim advocates, and policymakers about the individuals harmed by sexual exploitation and abuse here in New Hampshire. (God bless former Rep. Linda Massimilla, whose bulldog tenacity brought the conference about.)
As the four-hour program drew to a close, every student in the room looked dazed. They’d had to take in a lot. My unenviable task was to wrap things up with an upbeat what-you-can-do message. I did my best. Get involved. Meet your government representatives and let them know about your concerns. Volunteer with the agencies we’ve heard from today. Meet survivors where they are. Speak up for them. Finally, I told them about a bill that was pending in Concord, to crack down on brothels masquerading as legitimate massage parlors. Call your reps today, I said.
The bill failed that year.
Now, three years later, another bill with the same goal is on its way to the governor’s desk. HB 1469 had to be amended a few times to get this far, so it’s probably not as strong as sponsors would have liked. Even so, ten House co-sponsors and four from the Senate built a bipartisan foundation for it. I hope Governor Ayotte will sign it.
Then perhaps the next step, whatever it might be (going after the buyers of trafficked human beings, maybe?), won’t have to be so small.
Ultimately, the violence of human trafficking can be overcome only through a renewed vision that beholds very individual as a beloved child of God.
Pope Leo XIV, remarks on 2026 World Day of Prayer and Awareness Against Human Trafficking
Housing and hope
Beauty from Ashes Ministry is a program of housing and recovery for women emerging from sexual exploitation and substance use disorder. Its founder, Jasmine Marino, spoke at my town’s library the other day about the ministry, the women it serves, and her own story of being trafficked.
I knew about her Bags of Hope program, a street ministry in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, recently extended to Rhode Island if I heard her correctly. I hadn’t heard that she and her team now offer housing for women in recovery (including moms with children) at Living Hope Farm.
That sounds to me like a big stride forward, compared to the little steps to which I’m accustomed.
Housing for individuals in recovery is a complex need. I know of a similar housing program in Manchester that couldn’t be sustained for a variety of reasons, although an associated street ministry is going strong. Building a successful program takes time. I’ll be praying for the women in need of housing, and for all the people striving to make Living Hope Farm a successful place of healing.
Scheduling now for summer and early fall
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Recent posts elsewhere
Good conferences yielded two good books: “Evangeline” and “Pray With Us”
Community walks, Manchester and Goffstown
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Closing shot: a bridge with a view
I was on the Peterborough Common Pathway the other day (report coming soon at Granite State Walker). By the southern end, there’s a closed-off bridge over the Contoocook River. I did a double take when noticed that someone had set up a pair of rocking chairs there, facing upstream. Who needs a backyard deck when you’ve got a perfectly good bridge nearby?