On Jan. 31, the Indiana Statesman reported that Governor Mitch Daniels signed a bill, reinforcing human trafficking laws in conjunction with Super Bowl weekend. Given the possible increase in crime during the popular sporting event, the bill passed unopposed in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

However, the naysayers are alive and well—just ask the Riverfront Times, an alternative newspaper in St. Louis. Their column "The Super Bowl Prostitution Hoax: Indianapolis mobilizes for an epic battle with an urban legend," suggests that Indiana, as well as the rest of the country, sensationalizes the idea of human trafficking for publicity or "political gain."

Pete Kotz, who penned the article, stated "No one gets excited about garden-variety prostitution anymore. As a culture war wedge, it's so 1912."

Actually, prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. And, perhaps, it's earned that title because no one was excited enough about it. With each passing century, we've found new methods to ignore it or look the other way.

Soliciting sex isn't some trend like the latest automobile; it's an age-old problem that deserves all the attention we can give it. As Sergeant Jason Brentlinger of the Terre Haute police department said in our article Wednesday, "This is slavery."

Kotz continued to add that because the public has seemingly lost interest, politicians have "changed their advertising" by moving the focus from "adult harlots" to underage girls.

First, human trafficking and prostitution don't discriminate. Men, women and children are ripped from their families and forced into the unimaginably horrific sex market daily.  Second, even if the politicians are selling hype to Super Bowl patrons, isn't any publicity good publicity when it comes to upholding the law?

We understand that a few documented cases of human trafficking per event isn't remotely close the thousands Kotz was expecting. But any small victory still counts as a victory. This country should be disturbed that it is taking place to begin with, regardless of the variable.

And speaking of statistics, just because certain cities may not see an influx of prostitution or human trafficking during the Super Bowl (or any other time) doesn't mean that it isn't taking place on a wide scale basis. The police officials Kotz referred to in his column based their statements on reported cases only.  This is why legislatures are educating the seven hundred cabbies, hotel staff and patrons on these crimes—they aren't easily spotted and, therefore, could be (and are) missed.

To label this matter as a "hoax" or "urban legend" is an insult to the families and victims who have dealt with this shadowed epidemic. Downplaying or simply passing it off to law enforcement as if it was just another "garden variety" crime embodies everything that is wrong with our judicial system.