STRAPWA National Sex Trafficking Conference

This session will explore the legal remedies and protections available to survivors of sex trafficking, with a focus on vacatur and expungement laws. Many survivors continue to endure stigma and suffer from collateral consequences associated with criminal records that resulted from their victimization. Today, forty-two states have some version of a vacatur law that enables survivors to clear their record of unjust convictions. These laws are illustrative of a national trend toward recognizing that survivors of commercial sexual exploitation should not be criminalized for a crime that is committed against them. While state-based vacatur is a valuable remedy, the laws are still inadequate. This session will equip participants with the knowledge necessary to advocate for further legislative and policy reform. Furthermore, to leverage post-conviction remedies, survivors need access to affordable, trauma-informed legal advocates. We will train participants on confidentiality and other legal considerations, make recommendations for incorporating trauma-informed practices into legal advocacy, and encourage multi-disciplinary collaboration.)