Every day, human trafficking victims endure pain and trauma at the hands of their captors. The physical and emotional abuse can have long-lasting effects, and victims deserve justice and an opportunity to heal.
In Indiana, there were 140 human trafficking cases reported in 2020, up from 95 in 2017, according to the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
This session, I supported legislation to protect young human trafficking victims and strengthen criminal penalties against perpetrators.
Human trafficking victims are often forced to relive trauma in front of their perpetrator during court proceedings. Currently, Indiana law requires those 15 years old or older at the time of a trial to testify in court. This proposed legislation would allow those 14 years 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.
The bill would also increase sentencing for perpetrators whose victims are under the age of 18, and rule out victim consent or belief that a victim was at least 18 years old as a legal defense.
The Indiana House recently voted to advance this bipartisan bill to the Senate, and as a member of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee and a former police officer, I support this legislation.
According to advocates with the Indiana Trafficking Victims Assistance Program with whom I recently met with, we can all work to combat this crime by reporting someone suspected of being trafficked. Red flags include someone carrying excessive amounts of cash, multiple cell phones or hotel room keys, and false identification. Trafficking victims can appear scared or nervous and might have a controlling partner or adult with them. Please report any suspicious activity to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Human trafficking is a growing criminal industry, and we need to all do our part to stop criminals and help victims.
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State Rep. Stephen Bartels (R-Eckerty) represents House District 74,
which includes portions of Spencer, Dubois, Perry, Crawford and Orange counties.
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