Hoffman Leading Charge to Crack Down on Human Trafficking of Minors

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – In an effort to crack down on criminals that promote the human trafficking of minors, state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea, is sponsoring legislation that will increase penalties and extend the statute of limitations for such crimes.

“We need to have serious penalties in place for the perpetrators of these heinous acts,” Hoffman said. “The trauma and suffering felt by the victims of these crimes will last a lifetime, and the fact that a criminal can get off because of a technicality in the law is unconscionable.”

Hoffman’s proposal, House Bill 3629, requires stricter penalties for criminals involved in the human trafficking of minors, creating a mandatory sentence of 25 years. Additionally, the measure being pushed by Hoffman drastically increases the statute of limitations that a charge may be made. Under current law, a minor only has one year after they turn 18 to file charges, Hoffman’s legislation increases that to 25 years.

“Victims of human trafficking are living in unstable environments and do not have the support structures intact to bring charges within a year of turning 18,” said Patricia McKnight, child trafficking survivor and advocate with the National Association of Adult Survivors of Child Abuse. “We should be doing everything we can to ensure that we are bringing individuals involved with the human trafficking of children to justice, and the way the law is currently written places victims at a disadvantage.”