StarNews: Goolsby, Hamilton team up to battle sex trafficking

By Patrick Gannon
StarNewsOnline.com

WILMINGTON, NC — Two state lawmakers from Wilmington say they want to pass new laws to battle the problem of sex trafficking of minors in North Carolina and offer more treatment and less punishment to its young victims.

Sen. Thom Goolsby, a Republican, and Rep. Susi Hamilton, a Democrat, said they would pursue legislation in the 2013 legislative session, which begins in late January.

Exactly what the legislation will look like isn’t known, but Hamilton said lawmakers are looking into how current law works as it pertains to girls between 11 and 16 years old being sold for sex. Instead of punishing them as prostitutes, they should be rehabilitated, said Hamilton, who will begin her second term in the House in January.

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