At the very beginning of this year, California's Senate Bill 357 went into effect. Once this became law, it ceased to be unlawful for one to loiter with the purpose of partaking in prostitution.

Supporters of this measure touted it as a means of stopping the police from targeting transgender women. They also claimed Senate Bill 357 would make sex workers safer; however, with barely over one month of being the law of the land in California, the results remain disastrous.

Reports of human trafficking and other similar crimes are reportedly on the rise, owing to this measure.

A closer look at the ground in California

In real-time, predators like pimps and human traffickers are reportedly targeting women in the streets of the Golden State. According to local officials, even mothers who are trying to take their children to school are not spared.

Furthermore, thanks to Senate Bill 357 becoming California law on January 1, pimps, along with prostituted women, are seen everywhere in some parts of San Francisco.

Sometimes, onlookers can even see gangs of men physically harassing women on the streets, just from looking out of their windows. Certain concerned citizens have attempted to report this to the police; though not much, if anything at all, has stemmed from alerting law enforcement.

Los Angeles and Oakland are confronting similar problems. In fact, pimps in the streets face allegations of openly going after young, underage girls.

Cases like this automatically count as child sex trafficking. Minors cannot consent to have sexual relations with adults. Hence, when money is exchanged for this sex, that's when it becomes trafficking.

Republican officials in California, along with law enforcement and certain advocacy groups for abuse survivors, warn that Senate Bill 357 emboldens predators, while putting a target on the backs of more potential victims.

A troubling account from one of California's Republican officials

James Gallagher, a Republican assembly leader in California, is on the record about the true ramifications of Senate Bill 357. He warns that while good people are fleeing left and right, human traffickers continue moving in.

If Senate Bill 357 remains in effect in California, the state's situation will likely continue to deteriorate. So far, there is no indication of any changes being made. Moreover, Republicans' objections to this new law carry little weight in the community.

California remains overwhelmingly controlled by Democrats at virtually all levels. This is especially true in the ranks of govenrment that determine whether proposed laws pass or fail

Anyone who wishes to report what they believe to be human trafficking can contact the National Human Trafficking Hotline via phone at 1 (888) 373-7888 or by text at 233733.