Res 1409-2020

By Council Members Rosenthal, Gjonaj and Chin Whereas, According to the United Nations, human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing international criminal industries in the world; and Whereas, According to the United States Department of Health and Human Services, victims of human trafficking are often subjected to force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of sexual exploitation; and Whereas, Victims of sex trafficking are often difficult to identify or track due to the nature of the industry in which they are involved; such victims engage in street prostitution and work for online escort services; and Whereas, Because New York State, and in particular New York City, is a known destination for trafficked persons from all over the world who are commercially sexually exploited and forced into labor servitude, the State enacted an anti-trafficking law in 2010 which permitted victims of human trafficking to vacate prostitution-related criminal convictions that were directly related to their victimization; and Whereas, A.6983-B, introduced by New York State Assemblymember Richard N. Gottfried, and companion bill S.4981-B, introduced by New York State Senator Jessica Ramos, seek to strengthen existing state laws by amending the New York State Criminal Procedure Law by vacating convictions for offenses resulting from sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and compelling prostitution; and Whereas, A.6983-B/S.4981-B would include documentation with regard to sex trafficking, labor trafficking, and aggravated labor trafficking as additional grounds for a presumption that a victim was indeed a victim of trafficking; and Whereas, A.6983-B/S.4981-B would require that judgments be vacated on the merits because the defendant's participation in the offense was a result of having been a victim of trafficking; and Whereas, A.6983-B passed the Assembly and was delivered to the Senate on July 21, 2020; and Whereas, Enacting this legislation would strengthen the state human trafficking law and focus on protecting victims; now, therefore, be it resolved Resolved, That the Council of the City of New York calls on the New York State Legislature to pass and the Governor to sign A.6983-B/S.4981-B, which would amend the New York State Criminal Procedure Law by strengthening protections for victims of human and sex trafficking. WJH LS 13509 8/18/20