Contact
Shield North Carolina
Niki Miller, Director of Operations
919-446-4890
Available for questions or interviews
For immediate release
December 2, 2024
PRESS RELEASE
NORTH CAROLINA TO BECOME 2ND IN THE NATION TO ENACT THIS HUMAN TRAFFICKING LAW
RALEIGH (NC): The state of North Carolina consistently ranks in the top 10 for the number of human trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline and NC legislators are taking action. Effective December 1, 2024, the penalty for Solicitation of Prostitution was increased from a wrist-slapping misdemeanor to a felony. With this, North Carolina becomes the 2nd state in the nation to make buying sex a felony for the first offense. Passage was 42-0 in the NC Senate and 114-0 in the NC House of Representatives.
“[W]hat research has shown, is the best way to prevent sex trafficking is to address those individuals who fuel the crime, the sex buyers. If there are no buyers, there is no business,” explains Niki Miller, Director of Operations for Shield North Carolina, to the House Judiciary Committee in support of the penalty increase.
In addition, the passage of House Bill 971 created a requirement for all lodging establishments, including property owners utilizing online marketplaces such as AirBNB and VRBO, to ensure their staff and facilitators receive human trafficking awareness training beginning July 1, 2025
House Bill 971 was originally submitted by Representative Kevin Crutchfield. “Human Trafficking is not an abstract issue that only affects those in the far corners of the world, but is an issue that is happening right here in North Carolina,” Representative Kevin Crutchfield stated, “I was proud to introduce this legislation and thankful to the hotel and tourism industries and agencies that are committed to fighting against this criminal activity and join in the fight to end this violation of human rights.”
Once in the Senate, Senator Ted Alexander supported the bill and recommended additional mandates. One such addition classifies any information that could be used to identify a human trafficking survivor or their immediate family as confidential and therefore it must be omitted from public records. This affords human trafficking survivors a layer of protection from their trafficker(s).
Senator Ted Alexander had this to say about Session Law/House Bill 971, “This is an incredible piece of legislation, and I am honored to have played a role in ensuring that there are confidentiality protections for victims. Over the years, we’ve learned that increasing penalties for first-time offenders is a crucial way to slow the demand for these helpless victims. It’s imperative that we continue to raise awareness about human trafficking and teach North Carolinians of all stripes how to recognize the signs of someone being trafficked. There is more work to be done but this law is a great start.”
About Shield North Carolina: Shield North Carolina prioritizes collaboration to combat human trafficking in North Carolina through empowerment, prevention and advocacy. Shield NC cofounded the North Carolina Demand Reduction Task Force to collaborate with stakeholders across the state to reduce the demand for the services of both sex trafficked and labor trafficked individuals. Find out more at www.shieldnc.org and www.ncdemandreduction.com
