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Opinion: First Federal Criminal Record Relief Bill will Help Survivors Break Free From the Past and Pursue a Viable Future

Advocates across the anti-human-trafficking field are calling on Congress to pass the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act, which would create the first federal pathway for survivors of labor and sex trafficking to clear criminal records resulting from their trafficking experience. This law would break down a massive barrier to survivors’ economic stability and mobility, as having a criminal record — even resulting from victimization — restricts one’s ability to secure housing, employment, and custody rights. 

As a survivor of labor and sex trafficking, I know this impact firsthand. When I was 15 years old, I was coerced to work at a strip club and “adultified” by society. While I was a minor and into adulthood, the man I thought was my protector at the club turned out to be my pimp. Moreover, he knew how to use everything in his power — even my own children — to manipulate me.

At one point, he orchestrated parallel cases against me in both family and criminal courts. Despite knowing that I was a victim of sex trafficking, the family court did not provide me with an attorney and instead awarded him custody of our child — the first case in Texas where a victim (me) had to pay her trafficker child support. In criminal court, I could not afford to go to trial and was forced to plead guilty to a crime I did not commit. 

Meanwhile, when I tried to move forward, I was left struggling to make ends meet. I had served in the military and was later hired by the Sheriff’s Department. But although my colleagues vouched for me, my criminal record prevented me from keeping the job and pursuing a career. Credit reporting agencies and background checks flagged my record, complicating my efforts to obtain credit and find employment.

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Fortunately, my custody case ended up being reopened. Everything came out, and I proved my innocence. I started getting my children back, but my criminal record remained a barrier to finding gainful employment to support us. I could only find non-living wage jobs that left us in poverty — and put my children in a vulnerable position where, God forbid, they might end up where I was as a teen. I know all too well that trafficking can be generational: My mother was a victim of trafficking, too.

My family’s story is not the only example. I recently participated in a National Survivor Study, surveying hundreds of trafficking survivors across the country. The results are striking: 42% of respondents report having a criminal record, with 90% reporting that all or some of their arrests were related to their exploitation. These records keep us from getting or keeping a job (69%); getting training, education, or a professional license (63%); getting good housing (59%); and maintaining custody of our children (35%). 

Knowing this reality, I’ve been putting my experience to use. Over the last five years, I have shared my story many times, including in founding a youth-serving nonprofit, Nissi’s Network; running for political office in Houston in 2019; and advocating for SB 315, a Texas law preventing young people under age 21 from working in sexually oriented businesses — with the goal of keeping other girls from ending up where I was. I also want better communication and collaboration between criminal and family courts, as well as more resources and programs for girls and young women who are mothers.

And I support the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act. Passing this bill in Congress would be a huge step in empowering survivors of trafficking — and it could make the path forward easier for someone else in my situation.

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Need help? Polaris operates the U.S. National Human Trafficking Hotline.