Three bills adopted by the House earlier this year as part of a package of measures designed to combat human trafficking have been signed into law.

• Act 32 of 2021 will prohibit defendants in human trafficking cases from introducing evidence of a victim’s past sexual victimization or allegations, ensuring victims of this horrible crime have the same protections provided to victims of other sexual abuse offenses outlined in the Rape Shield Law.

• Act 38 of 2021 will add human trafficking and strangulation to the list of convictions affecting a child custody determination. Prior law already paid special attention to violent offenses such as homicide, sex offenses and kidnapping. With one in seven children reported missing becoming victims of child sex trafficking, the goal of this law is to prevent more children from suffering the same fate.

• Act 45 of 2021 will expand the list of offenses that require state inmates to participate in Department of Corrections counseling or therapy for sex offenders to include those convicted of human trafficking involving sexual servitude or other criminal offenses involving sexual abuse of a minor. Studies funded by the U.S. Department of Justice have demonstrated that participants in sex offender treatment programs are significantly less likely to be rearrested upon their release.

Human trafficking is defined as the recruitment, transportation, transfer, harboring or receipt of people through force, fraud or deception, for forced labor or sexual exploitation. Human trafficking frequently victimizes women and children and is the second largest criminal enterprise in the world. It is also one of the fastest growing and it is happening right here in Pennsylvania.

--Rep. Bob Brooks