Sinema gets NFL to commit to making Arizona model for helping trafficking victims national

Sen. Kyrsten Sinema on Friday toured the Phoenix Dream Center and led a roundtable discussion with the NFL and others about innovative ways Arizona combats human trafficking.

During the event in west Phoenix, Sinema, I-Ariz., was able to secure the NFL's commitment in bringing Arizona's victim assistance model to the rest of the country.

Bob Alder, the NFL's senior director of security and innovations, and Brendon Plack, the NFL's senior vice president of public policy and government affairs, committed the league's support in helping Sinema make national Arizona's system of assistance to sex workers for the first 23 hours after they are taken in by police.

“I was most impressed by the innovative strategy that Arizona uses to provide assistance to survivors of human trafficking,” Sinema said. “What I learned today was that by having the first day of interaction with these young girls and women be one of support and services, we're more likely to see girls and women interrupting the cycle of trafficking and violence. … And as we've heard from the Phoenix PD, we're more likely to see arrests and prosecutions of the traffickers who are actually the perpetrators of these crimes.”

The roundtable talk included representatives from the Phoenix Police Department, Arizona State University, ASU's McCain Institute for International Leadership and the Dream Center, which fights human trafficking.

Call to action:Campaign to call attention to human trafficking spotlighted by Super Bowl, NFL players

They talked about Arizona's “collaborative,” which in part handles what to do with sex workers for the first 23 hours after they are picked up by the police. The people are taken to places that conduct mental health evaluations, are fed and are able to sleep overnight. With trained professionals, the individuals discuss options for their future “with them, not for them.”

Dr. Dominique Roe-Sepowitz, the director of the ASU Office of Sex Trafficking Intervention Research, says that this model has been a “game changer,” particularly for children.

Sinema wants this model to be used in other states, where, unlike in Arizona, individuals arrested for prostitution are jailed.

“What I like to do is to help other states see that this model of providing support and services helps interrupt the cycle rather than revictimizing the survivors,” she said. “What I want to do is figure out how can we replicate this through perhaps grant funding or training or helping other states learn about the best practices so that they can use this model, too.”

In 2022, Arizona was the 18th-highest U.S. state for human trafficking.

The visit comes as the NFL's Super Bowl game is set for Sunday in Glendale. According to the International Justice Mission,

there is no conclusive evidence that there is more sex trafficking in the city where the Super Bowl is taking place.

However, media attention has linked the two events and “led the Super Bowl to become associated with human trafficking awareness campaigns.”

In 2014, more than 50 women and 13 minors were rescued from trafficking in the lead-up to Super Bowl 50 in New York.

Sinema would like to see Arizona's model implemented in Las Vegas for the next Super Bowl.

In December, Sinema, who is up for reelection in 2024, left the Democratic Party, switching to independent. On Jan. 23, Rep. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., announced he was running for a Senate seat, setting up a potential three-way race with Sinema and a Republican.

Sinema has not yet announced if she will actually seek a second Senate term next year. When asked by The Arizona Republic at the event if she was running again, Sinema said: “I'm not focused on electoral politics. I'm 100% focused on doing my job. Arizonans know that I'm good at it. … I deliver results, solve problems with the real solutions we need in our state.”

Tara Kavaler is a politics reporter at The Arizona Republic. She can be reached by email at [email protected] or on Twitter @kavalertara.