Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick hands Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley a pen used to sign An Act Relative to the Commercial Exploitation of People into law. Conley submitted key provisions of the legislation, including a presumption that minors arrested in prostitution cases should be treated as victims, not offenders.
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley today made the following statement as Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick signed landmark human trafficking and safe harbor legislation into law:
“That we’ve reached this point is a testament to the strength and commitment of a truly multidisciplinary partnership. In the Legislature, we had terrific allies in Representatives Marty Walsh, Liz Malia, and O’Flaherty; Senators McGee and Montigny; Speaker DeLeo, and Senate President Murray. We had the Governor’s support and we had groundbreaking work by Attorney General Coakley.
“But some of our most powerful partners weren’t elected officials or law enforcement professionals. They were victim advocates, service providers, and youth outreach workers. I’m talking about Audrey Porter and Lisa Goldblatt Grace of the My Life My Choice project. Susan Goldfarb of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County and Rebecca Dufur of our Support to End Exploitation Now program. And countless others who knew the truth that teenage victims of prostitution are not to blame for their own exploitation.
“In 2004, we in Suffolk County worked with these partners and others to launch a program that diverted prostituted youth out of the criminal justice system and toward service providers. That program is known as Support to End Exploitation Now, and it’s been recognized again and again as a successful, innovative government initiative. We worked hard to make that safe harbor provision part of this legislation as it is elsewhere in the country, and its inclusion in the bill is part of what makes it so revolutionary.
“Today marks the end of one struggle and the beginning of another. Massachusetts has joined 46 other states with laws against human trafficking, but we can’t rest on that achievement. Now we have to get to work, enforce these laws, and bring home the runaways who have lived for too long in the shadows. We have to lift the veil of anonymity that protects the pimps and johns who exploit them. And we have to commit ourselves to a long-term policy that protects the true victims and holds the true offenders accountable.”
