Bill would protect child victims of human trafficking who commit crimes

Concord Monitor 

January 15, 2019

Seven states have already passed similar legislation, Massimilla said. New Hampshire was one of the first states to criminalize human trafficking in 2009, said Jessica Eskeland, public policy specialist with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence.

It’s still an issue here, Eskeland said.

“A lot of folks think that trafficking is much more of an urban problem and that maybe it isn’t here in New Hampshire, which is, unfortunately, very much untrue,” Eskeland said. “By virtue of being on the I-95 corridor, connecting Maine all the way down to Miami, we are very much at risk for this activity.”
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Eskeland said it can be hard to get sex trafficking data – partly because many victims are afraid to come forward and risk being charged with other crimes.

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