Advocates for human trafficking victims hope to use momentum from last legislative session to target those who pay for sex.



Lawmakers and nonprofits have been pushing for changes in the law, including more leniency for prostitutes and stiffer penalties for their customers.



Rep. Liz Linehan, D-Cheshire, is behind a bill that would make solicitation of a prostitute a felony and require those convicted to register as a sex offender. The offense is currently a misdemeanor, even when a minor is involved.



“This is a real problem,” Linehan said Friday.



The Connecticut Trafficking in Persons Council listed ending the demand for prostitution as its to goal for 2017, and are launching an awareness campaign.



“Put simply, without buyers to purchase sex there would be no sex-for-pay industry,” the council’s report states.



The issue is also on the legislative agenda of The Permanent Commission on the Status of Women, a nonprofit advocacy organization.



“It is critical that the criminal justice system and any reform efforts be inclusive of women’s unique experiences,” Jillian Gilchrest, a policy analyst for PCSW, said in a press release earlier this week.



The PCSW pushed for changes last spring to the state’s human trafficking law. PCSW was a legislative commission at the time, but it has since been consolidated into the Commission on Women, Children, and Seniors. PCSW members formed a nonprofit with separate arms for research and advocacy.



Both groups hope to build on the momentum from last session.



“You’re going to see a lot more of that energy,” said Steven Hernandez, executive director of the Commission on Women Children and Seniors.



Linehan, a freshman lawmaker, said Connecticut has “been doing more than most states” on human trafficking, but said lawmakers need to do more to change how the public views both prostitutes and those who pay for sex.



“We can be leaders in legislation, but we need to also change perceptions,” she said.



Linehan decided to propose legislation after series of debates in September, when some candidates suggested both marijuana and prostitution be legalized. Linehan said purchasing marijuana is a victim-less crime, while prostitutes are often caught in human trafficking through drug addiction, domestic violence, or pressure from those who prey on under-aged and at-risk boys and girls.



Linehan’s bill would make solicitation of a prostitute a Class C felony, punishable by between one and 10 years in jail.



As a misdemeanor, the offense currently carries a maximum prison term of one year.



Additionally, the bill would require those convicted of soliciting sex from a minor to register as a sex offender after the first offense and for a second conviction when soliciting from an adult in both cases.



msavino@record-journal.com 203-317-2266 Twitter: @reporter_savino





