In Olympia, legislators have sent Governor Jay Inslee a bill designed to help sex-trafficking victims break free from their victimizers. Dan Frizzell from
the Washington State House Democratic Caucus has that story.
ENTENMAN: “A little bit of peace of mind to a person who has been trafficked, enslaved, put into prostitution against their will.”
WRAP: That’s what Representative Debra Entenman hopes her bill can bring to some people who need hope the most. Entenman, a freshman Democrat from Kent, earned unanimous OKs from both chambers for a new law that will allow police officers to arrest pimps and other traffickers who violate outstanding no-contact orders, even if the officers don’t witness the violation themselves. It’s long been standard practice in violations of other kinds of no-contact orders, such as domestic violence. But in trafficking cases, police had to seek a warrant before making an arrest if the violation didn’t happen before their eyes. It’s a dangerous loophole that Entenman saw needed to be closed.
ENTENMAN: “We want this person to be able to move forward with their life without the fear of being menaced and harassed. We want them to be able to move from trafficking and prostitution and enslavement to freedom, and choice, and a better life.”
Entenman says the first step in freeing victims, mostly women and children, is to stop the repeated violence and psychological intimidation that keeps them in bondage. Police think her bill will help them do just that, and it now awaits Governor Inslee’s signature. In Olympia, I’m Dan Frizzell.
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