BRIEF: California Passes Legislation in an Effort to Further Protect Human Trafficking Victims

By Andrew Benfield
Impunity Watch Senior Desk Officer, North America

SACRAMENTO, United States – California’s legislators have passed two bills, AB 2810 and AB 499, in furtherance of its pledge to take action against human trafficking.  Governor Schwarzenegger said that AB 2810 and AB 499 expand “victim rights, provide further protections and develop training for law enforcement to better assist victims” of human trafficking crimes. 

AB 2810 ensures that a victim of human trafficking, upon request, will have his or her name removed from any public record regarding the trafficking.  In addition, AB 2810 requires law enforcement officials to use “due diligence in identifying human trafficking victims regardless of citizenship status.” 

AB 499 creates a “pilot project” in Alameda County to develop a “comprehensive model to address the needs and effective treatment of sexually exploited minors.”  A focal point of the project is to “divert minors accused of soliciting an act of prostitution into supervised counseling and treatment programs.” 

Gov. Schwarzenegger has requested greater cooperation between U.S.-Mexico Border States in order to stop human trafficking crimes. 

For more information, please see:

Imperial Valley News – California Legislation to Further Protect Victims of Human Trafficking – 27 September 2008

San Francisco Chronicle – Calif. laws take aim at reducing human trafficking – 27 September 2008