BY STUART DYOS

The legislation advocates say is the strictest anti-child trafficking penalty in the nation has been signed into law.

House Bill 42, sponsored by Rep. Donna Givens, R-Loxley, passed the Senate last week and was signed by Gov. Kay Ivey. 

Originally, the bill would have convicted any person engaged in first-degree human trafficking of a minor to be sentenced to life in prison. As the bill made its way through the Senate, it was amended so that defendants 18 or younger are sentenced to Class A felonies. 

Givens said she is “absolutely” supportive of the amended bill.

“Our children are the ones that need us to look out for them and protect them and make sure that they’re safe and secure,” Givens told Alabama Daily News.

Named after the 2023 film of the same name, the Sound of Freedom Act does not require that the perpetrator be aware of their victim’s age to be given a life sentence, nor is mistaking the victim’s age a legitimate legal defense.Alabama is the first state to carry a minimum life imprisonment sentence for human trafficking. The law goes into effect in October.

“It’s our obligation to protect our children,” Givens said.

A multibillion-dollar industry, human trafficking has increased in the United States in recent years, with prosecutions increasing by 84% from 2011 to 2020. In Alabama, more than 1,500 victims of human trafficking have been identified by the National Human Trafficking Hotline since 2007.

Ivey mentioned the legislation in her February state of the state address and praised its passage last week.

“Human trafficking of minors is one of the most heinous and heart-wrenching crimes in America, and because the most defenseless among us are the victims, those found guilty should face the harshest penalties,” Ivey said in a written statement.  

“As human trafficking spreads across the nation, law enforcement everywhere has struggled to keep pace with those who want to harm and exploit innocent victims. Sadly, we’ve witnessed such cases right here in Alabama where human traffickers continue to cavalierly defy our laws, but not anymore.”

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