Senate Bill 626, which strengthens North Carolina laws regarding human trafficking, was signed into law today.

The new law gives human trafficking victims a statutory right to seek permanent no-contact orders against their trafficker. It also keeps victims from being denied money from the Crime Victims Compensation Fund based solely on their conduct while they were being trafficked. The law also expands the definition of what is considered human trafficking and sexual servitude to include patronizing or soliciting someone, which mirrors the federal law.

“On behalf of the North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission, we thank Senator Ted Alexander for sponsoring the bill, the General Assembly for passing it, and Governor Cooper for signing it into law,” said N.C. Human Trafficking Commission Chair Jennifer Haigwood. “The new law will help provide victims with much-needed protections.”

ABOUT THE HUMAN TRAFFICKING COMMISSION

The North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission is the legislatively mandated leader of anti-human trafficking efforts in North Carolina per S.L. 2013-368. The Commission is charged primarily with examining and combating human trafficking; funding and facilitating research; creating measurement, assessment, and accountability measures; informing and educating law enforcement personnel, social services providers, and the general public; suggesting new policies, procedures, and legislation; and developing regional response teams and identifying gaps in law enforcement or service provision and recommending solutions.