A bill aiming to protect underage victims of sex trafficking is headed to the House Judiciary Committee. The Safe Harbor for Sexually Exploited Children Act was introduced by Cumberland Rep. Mia Ackerman. The bill hopes to do a better job at treating exploited children as victims rather than criminals.
The proposal would make exploited children eligible for benefits from the state’s Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund. The fund provides victims of violent crimes with money to cover health insurance and relocation expenses.
Data on sex trafficking is limited in the Ocean State. But Day One, an agency that deals with sexual assault, says a new program they’ve created has already received over thirty cases of child sexual exploitation in its first six months. They expect that number to increase as the program develops.
