The figures are disturbing.

Phoenix police are actively investigating 50 known pimps, but last year only one pimp was convicted at trial and is serving time.

No Johns were able to be prosecuted for child prostitution.

When concerned citizens asked the Maricopa County Attorney's Office what can be done to better protect our children? The answer was strengthen laws against the pimps and Johns.

Changes to existing laws being proposed are counter measures to the tactics used by pimps and Johns.

Right now, Johns can claim they didn't know a boy or girl was under the age of 18 and they're basically off the hook.

But excuses will no longer work if a new bill gets passed.

A dog crate was used to demonstrate the cruel life that a 15-year-old Valley girl was forced to live in as a child prostitute.

"She was 5 feet 4 inches, 130 pounds and this is where she stayed -- in this dog crate," said Councilwoman Peggy Billstein, who wants to be a voice for that girl and all of the other child victims. "If we can't make our laws tougher, nothing is going to change.

She is part of a task force of city leaders, prosecutors, advocates and police who appeared today at the House of Representatives to push SB 1268.

"Through this new law, we will give police the ability to arrest pimps and Johns at an earlier stage in process," said Lucia Howard, an attorney.

Howard said there are a lot of activities associated with child prostitution that pimps and Johns don't get prosecuted for because of the way the current laws are written.

"The law as it stands does not have "non-contact" activities in the child prostitution law, so in other words I could pay a child to lap dance naked for me and that's not child prostitution, Howard said.

But the new measure would close some very large loopholes in existing child trafficking laws.

It would expand the acts that are considered child prostitution to include those non-contact activities.

It would make transporting a child for the purpose of prostitution a separate crime.

"When they are trafficking the child to take the child to a John, they'll (police) be able to arrest them instead of having to wait for a John to actually have sex with a minor," she said.

The bill also defines prostitution to include any payment for sexual conduct, not just money.

It would eliminate the defense that the pimp or John did not know the child's age.

And it would create a Class 2 felony for any adult who engages or attempts to engage in prostitution with a minor.

This would put the Johns who solicit prostitutes on the same criminal level as the pimps who exploit them.

SB 1268 was unanimously passed by the Arizona Senate and it will be voted on next Wednesday by members of the House.