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SALT LAKE CITY — A bill that cleared a Utah House committee Tuesday would make sure children who are exploited for sex would be treated as victims and not criminals.
HB206, sponsored by Rep. Angela Romero, D-Salt Lake City, requires the state Division of Child and Family Services to provide services for children engaged in prostitution or sexual solicitation who are referred to the agency. The bill also precludes child prostitution victims from being subject to delinquency proceedings in court.
"This bill will help them on the path to healing," Attorney General Sean Reyes told the House Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Committee. The panel unanimously voted to move the bill to the House floor.
Police in their zeal to catch child traffickers forget about the victims and too often treat them as perpetrators, he said.
David Carlson, director of the attorney general's child protection division, said sex traffickers prey on children who lack family support or are homeless. They shower them with gifts and money, and give them some semblance of family.
Children often don't perceive themselves as victims. They accept as normal a lifestyle that society finds horrible, he said.
"As damaged as these children are, they are worth trying to save," Carlson said.
Under federal law, a prostitute under age 18 is not considered an offender, he said.
The child and family services division has identified at least three child trafficking victims and expects the number to go up if the bill passes, said Jennifer Larson, director of adolescent services. The bill would provide a correct pathway to intervention and services for victims, she said.
The bill also amends the definition of abuse to include trafficking a child for sexual exploitation. Email: romboy@deseretnews.com Twitter: dennisromboy
