Attorney General Austin Knudsen is committed to stopping human trafficking in Montana as the number of cases continues to rise across the state. The number of cases tracked by the Montana Department of Justice increased from 7 in 2015 to 143 in 2023, an increase of 1,900 percent. To end the problem, everyone must first know it exists. Once people are aware of trafficking and sexual slavery, everyone can work together to help stop this worldwide criminal epidemic.

During the 2023 legislative session, Attorney General Knudsen’s office helped write and pass House Bill 112 which increases the penalties for sex traffickers and patrons of sex trafficking. It also provides prosecutors with more tools to prosecute sex traffickers and expands the definition of human trafficking and has helped intensify the crackdown on the sexual abuse of children and all victims.”

Attorney General Knudsen also successfully advocated for two new human trafficking agents during the 2023 Legislative Session, increasing the number of agents to investigate human trafficking from two to four.

Attorney General Knudsen has also increased human trafficking training for county attorneys, Montana Highway Patrol Troopers, and law enforcement cadets at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy. In 2024, the Montana Department of Justice launched a human trafficking curriculum to educate students on the signs of trafficking. During his first year in office, he helped launch the Sentinel Project, a private-public partnership between the Montana Department of Justice and non-governmental organizations to increase human trafficking training and public education in the state.