October 2021 – On July 1, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) signed SB 1826 into law. According to the National Center on Sexual Exploitation (NCOSE), the bill expanded the definition of sex trafficking to include “purchasing, patronizing, or procuring another person for exploitation.” SB 1826 will also be used to help trained advocates communicate with victims. Likewise, NCOSE said the law “authorizes judges to make procedural accommodations for victims of human sex trafficking in judicial proceedings.”
“We commend Florida for taking the crime of human trafficking seriously,” said Dawn Hawkins, CEO of NCOSE. “The legal and procedural changes in the bill will have a real impact in the lives of survivors of human trafficking, supporting them in both the criminal justice system and in their healing journey.”
