Minn. Stat. 609.321 Subd. 7a

Minn. Stat. 609.321 Subd. 7a

“Sex trafficking” means:

(1)receiving, recruiting, enticing, harboring, providing, or obtaining by any means an individual to aid in the prostitution of the individual; or

(2)receiving profit or anything of value, knowing or having reason to know it is derived from an act described in clause (1).

1) Victims of sexual trafficking are sexually exploited, not prostituted

2) The statute is demeaning to women and a violation of human rights and women’s rights

• Victims should not be criminalized in order to be able to convict traffickers

3) If the “prostitute” intended to prostitute, the human trafficker didn’t do anything.

• Calling victims prostitutes places the blame on the victim

4) If a “prostitute” is arrested, they can and have been bailed out and endangered by traffickers.

• We need to provide more protection for victims

5) If a “prostitute” is arrested, they can refuse and don’t want to testify

6) Our statute needs to be parallel to the Federal TVPA:• MN can gain “points” for arresting sex traffickers• We can regain federal funding for anti-trafficking police work• We can gain federal resources to help victims of sexual trafficking

Since its enactment in 2005, the statute has not used to convict a sex

trafficker in MN.

Help empower sexual trafficking victims to take part in the conviction of their traffickers

Support the human rights of sex trafficking victims