New Hampshire! Thank Governor Hassan for signing House Bill 1628 into law!

House Bill 1628 amends New Hampshire’s sex trafficking offense to include buyers who purchase sex with a child.  Those who purchase sex with children drive the demand that fuels the sex trafficking industry.  Buyers of sex with children are perpetrators of serious offenses and must be held accordingly accountable, but this is difficult without laws that clearly apply to this conduct.  In order to deter individuals from paying to have sex with children, New Hampshire now has penalties that clearly criminalize the purchasing of sex with minors and reflect the seriousness of the offense.

Furthermore, establishing that buyers who may act independently of a trafficker are nevertheless culpable of sex trafficking crimes ensures that any child who is bought for sex can be identified as a juvenile sex trafficking victim. Requiring that a trafficker be involved in order for minors to be identified as sex trafficking victims risks excluding two key vulnerable groups: runaway and homeless youth who may suffer exploitation in exchange for life necessities without the involvement of a trafficker and youth who suffer extreme trauma bonds and are unable to identify a trafficker perpetrator.

Thank Governor Hassan for signing this important bill and taking a critical foundational step towards better protections for juvenile sex trafficking victims in New Hampshire.