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Advocates press committee to broaden definition of 'assault by an officer' to protect trafficking survivors and sex workers
Summary
Advocates and attorneys testified in support of H 2634, which would broaden legal definitions of custody and control to cover police interactions outside formal custody and prohibit officers from exploiting the threat of arrest to coerce sexual contact.
A coalition of survivors, attorneys and advocacy groups urged lawmakers to expand criminal remedies against sexual contact and coercion by officers beyond traditional custody contexts.
Rebecca Cleary, an attorney for trafficking survivors and adult consensual sex workers, said H 2634 would broaden the legal definition of "custody and control" so that exploitative conduct during investigations or encounters not technically in custody could be prosecuted as assault. Jessica Van Mayer (founder, Boston Sex Workers and Allies Collective) and other advocates recounted accounts documented in a Department of Justice review of the Worcester Police Department and described how undercover operations and the threat of arrest have been used coercively. Several speakers said the bill is intended to protect vulnerable people from abuse of power while not restricting legitimate investigative tactics.
Speakers asked the committee to support a statutory change that would close gaps they say have allowed abuse to go unpunished; no committee action was taken during the hearing.
