The passage of Senate Bill 133 and House Bill 681 provides child sex trafficking victims with an important civil remedy and ensure this tool will be available to survivors by extending the statute of limitations for commencing an action to allow time for survivors to access restorative services.
Sex trafficking is a multi-billion dollar industry. Laws that allow victims of domestic minor sex trafficking to pursue civil remedies for the damages they have suffered as a result of the trafficking are a critical component in the fight against sex trafficking. Civil remedies serve to punish those persons who commercially sexually exploit children and at the same time provide much needed funding for victims to access services. Civil remedies empower survivors with the private right to vindicate their civil rights and hold their exploiters directly accountable for their actions. However, since the effect of sex trafficking on a child is traumatic and potentially long-lasting, extending the statutes of limitations on civil actions for child sex trafficking and CSEC crimes is critical to allow victims full access to justice.
Thank you for Governor McAuliffe for signing Senate Bill 133 and House Bill 681 which provide an important tool for child sex trafficking victims and help in the fight against sex trafficking!
