“Sex trafficking is the nation’s fastest-growing business of organized crime,” reports a May 18 Huffington Post article: Sex Victims Usually Can’t Escape Prostitution Charges. This Lawyer’s Working to Change That.
And often, it’s not just the sex traffickers who are punished—it’s their victims, those who are forced into a life of crime. Under duress, they become prostitutes, take and sometimes sell drugs, and even incur loitering charges.
Then if they luckily escape their captors, their torment doesn’t end there. After being hit with misdemeanor and even felony charges during their captivity, they have to deal with the repercussions of these charges for their entire lives.
Getting stable jobs, renting apartments, and even making friends can be incredibly challenging when there are permanent marks on the records of these victims.
“An estimated 293,000 youths alone are at risk of being sexually exploited in the U.S.,” reports the Huffington Post. Many victims are runaways and orphans who were formerly part of the foster care system.
But then in 2010, sex trafficking victims began to see a light at the end of the tunnel, when New York passed the “Vacating Convictions Law,” also known as the vacatur law, which indicated that victims would have their criminal records wiped clean of prostitution, drug, and other charges if they had committed crimes as a result of being trafficked.
The trafficking victims advocacy program in New York City, Legal Aid, has a 100% success rate for cases seeking to expunge the criminal records of sex trafficking victims.
Since 2010, 23 states, including California, have passed similar laws to help victims get back on their feet after escaping their captors. Victims of sex trafficking throughout California can now get their records wiped clean of both misdemeanor and felony charges incurred as a result of sex trafficking.
If you’re a current or former sex trafficking victim, there is a way to escape a permanent criminal record. Misdemeanor and felony charges can follow victims around for their whole lives, making employment, housing, and even simple friendships hard to come by.
Take your life back by getting your record wiped clean of all charges. It wasn’t your fault that you were sex trafficked.
Take a stand by contacting top attorney Dan Chambers of the Chambers Law Firm. He will expertly apply California laws to your specific case and get your criminal record expunged so you can start fresh.
Imagine the happiness you’ll feel when the judge announces that your criminal record is now completely free of all charges! Call 714-760-4088 for a free, absolutely confidential consultation.
