New Jersey Assembly Passes Ten-Bill Anti-Trafficking Package on Oct. 29: Statute of Limitations Lifted, Penalties Raised; Senate Passage Still Needed
The New Jersey Assembly passed a package of ten bills on October 29 to strengthen the fight against human trafficking and expand support for victims. The measures require the state attorney general to review trafficking-investigation policy statewide, eliminate the statute of limitations for trafficking-related criminal and civil cases, and raise penalties for several offenses, including heavier punishment for buyers of sex, in an effort to reduce demand.
The package follows the State Commission of Investigation's 2024 report on trafficking in the massage and bodywork industry and a World Cup-period enforcement effort in which the attorney general's office reported rescuing nearly 100 suspected trafficking victims and arresting 71 people across the state. The bills still need Senate passage. Assemblywoman Carol Murphy said heavier penalties for buyers are central to shrinking the market.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：新泽西州议会大厦（特伦顿）。Famartin 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / The New Jersey State House in Trenton. Photo by Famartin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
