Maryland passes Safe Harbor law to protect trafficked children

Maryland lawmakers handed a Protected Harbor invoice this week that may shield trafficked kids from being charged with sure crimes.

The invoice, which was accredited by the Maryland Basic Meeting on Tuesday, will forestall legislation enforcement authorities from arresting and charging little one victims of intercourse trafficking or human trafficking with crimes they might have dedicated on account of being victims. These crimes can embody trespassing, theft, prostitution, possession of a fraudulent authorities identification and driving with out a license, in addition to different violations, in line with the invoice.

The legislation will even require legislation enforcement authorities to tell native little one welfare businesses in the event that they consider a baby was being trafficked.

It should additionally require that authorities launch the kid to both the kid’s dad and mom or guardians, except they consider the kid could also be endangered by their dad and mom or guardians. If the latter is the case, they’ll launch the kid to a welfare company as an alternative.

The invoice now heads to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) desk, the place he plans to signal the invoice into legislation, in line with The Washington Submit. If signed, the brand new legislation can be enacted on Oct. 1.

The Hill reached out to the governor’s workplace for remark.

In keeping with Shared Hope Worldwide, an advocacy group aiming to finish intercourse trafficking, Maryland can be becoming a member of 27 states and Washington D.C. in enacting some type of Protected Harbor legislation, which the group defines as legal guidelines “designed to scale back the criminalization of kid and youth intercourse trafficking victims.”

The group gave Maryland an “F” grade on the state’s insurance policies on little one trafficking victims in 2022, saying that there are “gaps” in areas together with “non-criminalization for prostitution offenses, expanded non-criminalization, juvenile court docket jurisdiction and non-familial trafficking circumstances.”