Committee Passes Bill to Let Human Trafficking Victims Take Traffickers to Court
On Wednesday the Senate Judiciary Committee passed a bill that creates a civil cause of action for human trafficking victims in Arkansas.
S.B. 282 by Sen. Missy Irvin (R – Mountain View) and Rep. Jimmy Gazaway (R – Paragould) makes it easier for victims of human trafficking to sue their traffickers and those who profited from the trafficking.
Besides being criminally liable, S.B. 282 makes it clear that a person is civilly liable in court if they engaged in human trafficking or if they knew or should have known that a victim was being trafficked, and if they benefitted from the trafficking.
A motel in Springdale made headlines last year after a lawsuit revealed that the motel permitted a teenage girl to be trafficked at the motel over the course of three years.
It is possible that the crime might have been discovered much sooner if the motel’s management had not facilitated the human trafficking.
Human traffickers should go to prison, and those who aid or abet human trafficking should be held accountable. S.B. 282 will help do exactly that.
Family Council is pleased to support this good bill.
S.B. 282 now goes to the entire Arkansas Senate for consideration.