McNamara’s Human Trafficking Bill Advances To The Senate
STATEHOUSE (Jan. 24, 2022) – The Indiana House advanced legislation today authored by State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) to protect young human trafficking victims and strengthen criminal penalties against perpetrators.
The bill, which now heads to the Senate for consideration, would allow young victims to provide recorded video statements instead of physically testifying in a courtroom where they are forced to relive past trauma. Currently, Indiana law requires Hoosiers 15 years old or older at the time of a trial to testify in court. This legislation would allow survivors 14 years old or younger at the time of their assault to submit a video statement for court procedures if they are younger than 18 at the time of the trial.
“Human trafficking is a vile criminal enterprise with more than 25 million victims worldwide,” McNamara said. “We need to continue to eradicate this form of modern-day slavery in our state. This bipartisan legislation would not only help protect young victims, but also remove an emotional hurdle so that more children are willing to testify against their perpetrators.”
In addition, McNamara’s bill would close a legal loophole for individuals who pay a victim directly for sex acts. Currently, individuals who offer to or pay for sex acts can only be prosecuted with a Level 5 felony if they pay the trafficker directly. According to law enforcement, it is difficult to prosecute suspects as the majority of transactions occur between the perpetrator and the victim.
The legislation would also increase sentencing for perpetrators whose victims are under the age of 18 and rules out victim consent or belief that a victim was at least 18 years old as a legal defense.
“We will hold those who benefit from this crime accountable for their actions and ignorance of a victim’s age should not be an excuse to avoid prosecution,” McNamara said. “I urge the Senate to give careful consideration to the traumatic experiences of Indiana’s young human trafficking victims and pass these added protections.”
In Indiana, there were 140 human trafficking cases reported in 2020, up from 95 in 2017, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
If someone is suspected to be a victim of human trafficking, it should be reported immediately to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. For more information, visit humantraffickinghotline.org.
FOOTNOTE: State Rep. Wendy McNamara (R-Evansville) represents House District 76, which includes portions of Posey and Vanderburgh counties.
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