Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear signed a bill yesterday allowing individuals forced into prostitution through human trafficking to have their records expunged.
State Senator Morgan McGarvey sponsored the bill which specifies that if the individual is the victim of human trafficking at the time of the offense, his or her participation was a result of being a victim.
“This measure allows these victims to move on with their lives, to go on and hopefully lead constructive lives,” Sen. McGarvey said. “Basically, it acknowledges them as victims and makes it possible for them to rebuild their lives without a criminal record following them.”
Human rights representatives indicate that human trafficking is a growing problem in the Commonwealth. From June until October 2013, the Kentucky Department of Community Based Services received 20 reports concerning 25 child victims of suspected human trafficking.