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Missouri bill would shield human trafficking victims' info

Ira Gelb
/
Flickr

  The Missouri secretary of state is pushing a bill that would allow the state to keep human trafficking victims' addresses secret.

Secretary of State Jason Kander on Tuesday announced legislation that would expand the Safe at Home program to cover those victims.

The program gives confidential addresses to survivors of domestic violence, rape and some other crimes. The aim is to prevent the victims' assailants from tracking where they live and potentially harming them again.

Sex trafficking survivor and advocate Katie Rhoades says her pimp threatened her with violence before she escaped. She says the legislation could help other survivors who later worry about their own safety.

North Carolina, Washington, Oregon and Maryland have similar programs for human trafficking victims.

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