Maryland passes Safe Harbor law to protect trafficked children

Maryland lawmakers passed a Safe Harbor bill this week that will protect trafficked children from being charged with certain crimes.

The bill, which was approved by the Maryland General Assembly on Tuesday, will prevent law enforcement authorities from arresting and charging child victims of sex trafficking or human trafficking with crimes they may have committed as a result of being victims. These crimes can include trespassing, theft, prostitution, possession of a fraudulent government identification and driving without a license, as well as other violations, according to the bill.

The law will also require law enforcement authorities to inform local child welfare agencies if they believe a child was being trafficked.

It will also require that authorities release the child to either the child’s parents or guardians, unless they believe the child may be endangered by their parents or guardians. If the latter is the case, they will release the child to a welfare agency instead.

The bill now heads to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore’s (D) desk, where he plans to sign the bill into law, according to The Washington Post. If signed, the new law will be enacted on Oct. 1.

The Hill reached out to the governor’s office for comment.

According to Shared Hope International, an advocacy group aiming to end sex trafficking, Maryland will be joining 27 states and Washington D.C. in enacting some form of Safe Harbor law, which the group defines as laws “designed to reduce the criminalization of child and youth sex trafficking victims.”

The group gave Maryland an “F” grade on the state’s policies on child trafficking victims in 2022, saying that there are “gaps” in areas including “non-criminalization for prostitution offenses, expanded non-criminalization, juvenile court jurisdiction and non-familial trafficking cases.”