Since the start of President Donald Trump’s second term in January, the United States has been on the right track to ending human trafficking. Several states are following the administration’s lead and are taking action to not only end human trafficking but also provide support for victims at the state level.
Arkansas, its state legislature and Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders, is one of the best examples of this progress.
Human trafficking is a multi-faceted issue. The first step to addressing these horrific crimes is ending this modern-day slavery through a secure border that makes trafficking more difficult and enforcing laws that hold traffickers accountable for their crimes.
The next step is just as important – supporting the victims of this egregious crime. Not only are victims often left with trauma, mental struggles, and limited to no resources for restarting their lives, but many are also left with a criminal record. 62% of trafficking victims will be arrested and 80% of those arrests occur while they are under the influence of their trafficker.
Trafficking victims are often cited, arrested, and detained by law enforcement for crimes, such as prostitution, truancy, and curfew violations, that they are coerced into by their traffickers and would not otherwise commit. Victims’ encounters with the justice system that are a direct result of their trafficking often cause distrust of the justice system, throw them into a cycle of crime, and prevent them from receiving the help they need to escape trafficking and embark on a productive and safe life.
Thankfully, Arkansas’ Child Trafficking Victims Protection and Restoration Act aims to remedy this.
Introduced by State Senator Missy Irvin (75% CPAC Lifetime Rating), this conservative-led, but bipartisan effort would provide relief for victims of child trafficking who are coerced into other crimes and face significant financial and physical challenges after years of abuse.
The bill seeks to view those who committed crimes as a direct result of their trafficking as victims and consider their circumstances and trauma when evaluating their cases.
CPAC’s Center for Combating Human Trafficking has been working with the lawmakers, law enforcement leaders, and partner organizations like Human Rights for Kids to get this commonsense policy passed. The act would make tremendous progress toward helping victims break free from trafficking and the cycle of crime to pursue a meaningful life as a free individual.
Our Center is prioritizing policies that provide support for the survivors of these horrific crimes which have exploded after years of the Biden administration neglecting our border crisis and refusing to prosecute traffickers. Laws like these give legal relief to survivors and provide resources so these incredible young men and women can repair their lives.
CPAC’s Center for Combating Human Trafficking is proud to join victim advocates, law enforcement, and survivors of human traffickers in supporting the Child Trafficking Victims Protection and Restoration Act in the Arkansas state legislature and look forward to advancing similar proposals around conservative states across our country.
