Legislation creating an affirmative defense for sexually exploited juveniles charged with prostitution and requiring these victims be offered intervention and protective services by the state has been approved by the Senate.
S-2599, sponsored by Senators Diane Allen (R- Burlington/Camden) and Jennifer Beck (R- Monmouth/Mercer), affirms that persons under the age of 18 cannot willingly consent to engaging in sexual solicitation and would require their treatment as victims in the eyes of the law.
“The guiding principle here is that no child can make the conscious choice to engage in prostitution; that those engaging in that type of behavior are being criminally exploited,” said Allen. “Many of these children are victims of sexual assault from a very young age. They are being taken advantage of by others, and they need to be treated by the system as victims of a crime in need of help rather than criminals who should have known better.”
Beck noted that it was important to prevent sexually exploited minors from carrying the stigma of a criminal conviction for the rest of their lives. “Treating juveniles who are the victims of sex trafficking or coerced into prostitution as offenders requires them to carry a criminal conviction with them for the rest of their lives,” she said. “That is a gross miscarriage of justice that will hamper their ability to lead productive adult lives. By diverting these children into treatment, we can help them overcome the emotional damage done to them by their exploiters and steer them toward a better future.”
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August 19, 2011
