State lawmakers are considering a bill that would elevate the crime of 'patronizing a prostitute' from a misdemeanor to a felony, in an effort to combat crime.
Washington state lawmakers are considering a bill that would elevate the crime of "patronizing a prostitute" from a misdemeanor to a felony, in an effort to combat the rampant sex trade and related crimes in areas like Aurora Avenue."Gunfire, somebody jumped my fence, running from other pimps, running from prostitutes, hid in my backyard while we huddled in my house scared.
Prosecutors from Pierce and King counties, along with a Seattle police detective, have urged state lawmakers to enact legislation to address the issue. "Our prostitution track particularly on Aurora has become the second most prolific track in the United States," Detective Maurice Washington with the Seattle Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit said. "I’m constantly pulling children off those tracts on a daily basis, the last one 14 years of age, that was brought two days prior from Texas.
The proposed legislation would allocate fees collected from offenders to education and prevention programs for perpetrators and services for victims of sex trafficking. "The goal of this bill is to protect survivors of trafficking," Wagoner added. "It's by going after Johns. This doesn't do anything to further penalize survivors; this goes after the Johns who are driving the demand."While opponents of the bill express concerns that it could put sex workers and trafficking victims at higher risk, supporters argue that it targets buyers, not victims, and that tougher penalties will reduce the market for those being sexually exploited..
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