Child Trafficking Victims Aren't Criminals! Call for Safe Harbor Laws in Our Nation's Capital

Child victims of sexual trafficking should not wind up behind bars while pimps and traffickers walk free.

Yet, for children in the D.C. area, the lack of "safe harbor" laws mean that too often young victims of sex trafficking end up arrested, rather than getting the help they need to escape and find a better life.

Washington D.C., Maryland, and Virginia all currently lack Safe Harbor laws. These are laws designed to protect children under the age of 18 who have been forced into sex work. Safe Harbor laws mean that young victims of sex trafficking are not treated like criminals. They also provide for treatment and services for these children, helping reduce trauma and provide a path to recovery for young victims of trafficking.

It's absurd that, so near our Nation's capital, young people who've already been victimized and traumatized by sex trafficking can still wind up behind bars.

It's time for D.C., Maryland, and Virginia to join with states across the US in protecting children who have been trafficked and forced into commercial sex work. Send a message today calling for the urgent enactment of Safe Harbor laws in D.C., Virginia and Maryland!