The HB833/SB768 Safe Harbor Law prevents minors (any child under 18) from being prosecuted for prostitution or related offenses and directs juvenile sex trafficking victims to non-punitive specialized services in Maryland.

According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, 95 sex trafficking cases were reported in Maryland in 2020 and 41 human trafficking cases involved minors. This bill recognizes that minors, by virtue of their age, are especially vulnerable to being trafficked and should not be penalized by the legal system for their own victimization.

While Maryland’s current Regional Navigator program enables trafficked youth to be connected with specialized social services, it does not prevent youth from being criminalized for offenses committed while being trafficked. HB833/SB768 takes the next step in protecting trafficked youth by establishing immunity from prosecution for criminal, delinquency, or civil cases when the underlying offense was a direct result of the minor being trafficked. As of now, at least thirty-four other states have passed Safe Harbor legislation to protect minors from prosecution for offenses related to their trafficking. The Amara Legal Center commends the Maryland legislature for supporting and enacting the Regional Navigator program in 2019 and we now urge them to support immunity for youth charged with offenses as a result of being trafficked.

When child trafficking victims are convicted of prostitution or related offenses, they are often transferred from the control of a trafficker to the control of the criminal legal system. Safe Harbor Laws protect child victims of sex trafficking from unjust criminalization.

Contact your Maryland State Senators and House Delegates today and urge them to vote in favor of this important bill!