Don't Throw Victims of Sex Trafficking in Jail!
You might think the 105 children recently saved from sex trafficking have been through enough. But now they might be the ones going to prison.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which worked with the Federal Bureau of Investigation to recover the missing children, now says some of these kids -- ages 13 to 17 -- may have nowhere safe to go except to jail.
And it gets even worse than that. In California and Michigan, these abused children could be prosecuted for prostitution. A proposed California law, Senate Bill 738, would prevent that, but it has not yet been signed into law.
We must guarantee that children who have been victimized and exploited do not get treated as criminals. Tell your state legislators to ensure that victims of sex trafficking do not end up in jail!
We the undersigned rejoice in the recovery of 105 children who were victims of sex trafficking in the United States. But we are saddened to hear that they are so unprotected by the law that, now, they may face a prison sentence.
The problem appears to be two-fold. Some of these children do not have a safe home to return to, so juvenile detention has been proposed as an alternative to foster care. Obviously, every effort should be made to avoid this solution.
Beyond that, California and Michigan do not have laws in place that specifically protect minors from being prosecuted for prostitution. It is plain to us that a sixteen or seventeen year old boy or girl who has entered the sex trade is not responsible for his or her actions.
Please introduce a bill equivalent to California's Senate Bill 738 and guarantee that none of these rescued children will end up in prison as a consequence of being victimized and exploited!
