Saturday, July 9, 2011

Senator Brian A. Joyce Votes to Crack Down on Human Trafficking

By Lisa Gentes

Last week, Senator Brian A. Joyce and the state senate unanimously passed legislation that cracks down on human trafficking in Massachusetts. The bill includes strong criminal penalties for forced labor and sexual servitude and establishes important protections for victims of human trafficking.
 
“This is important legislation designed to protect the most vulnerable of our citizens, and brings Massachusetts in line with almost every other state in the nation,” said Senator Joyce, who represents Canton.
 
The Senate bill includes criminal sentences up to five years in prison for attempted trafficking, up to 20 years for trafficking adults, and up to life imprisonment for the trafficking of minors. Businesses involved in trafficking would face up to a $1 million fine for the first offense, with a mandatory minimum of 10 years to a maximum of life for a second offense. These offenses also carry a 5-year mandatory minimum sentence.
 
The bill also removes any statute of limitations for trafficking crimes and creates a 15-year criminal penalty for trafficking human organs.
 
The Senate bill updates sex offender registration laws to include human trafficking. This would require anyone convicted of the crime to register in Massachusetts as a sex offender and would require the Department of Correction and the Department of Youth Services to notify law enforcement of the release of convicted sex traffickers.
 
In an effort to further protect and help victims, the legislation takes several steps including the creation of a “Victims of Human Trafficking Trust Fund” which will be funded from fines and convicted human traffickers’ forfeited assets. The fund provides restitution and funding for victim services and related work done by law enforcement.
 
The legislation also:

• Establishes an Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force, comprised of state officials, law enforcement, victims’ services organizations and trafficking victims to investigate and study rates of human trafficking, prevention, and the treatment of victims;

• Increases the penalty for soliciting a prostitute, and increases the penalty for soliciting sex from a person under 18;

• Allows defendants who are victims of human trafficking and charged with prostitution to establish a defense of duress or coercion;

• Establishes a “safe harbor provision” that allows the commonwealth, defendant or court to request a hearing for a child arrested for prostitution to instead receive protection services;

• Requires the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to provide services to sexually exploited children and to immediately report to the district attorneys and the police any child the department believes to be a sexually exploited child;

• Amends the mandated reporting law so that mandated reporters, such as doctors, social workers, teachers and probation officers, must report to DCF when they have reasonable cause to believe that a child is sexually exploited; 

• Establishes a process for victims of trafficking to bring civil actions; and

• Increases potential sentences for “Johns” to 2 ½ years in a house of correction and creates a mandatory $1,000 fine.

 
The legislation will now return to the House of Representatives for further consideration.