VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A sex trafficking survivor shared her story and the importance of a new law aimed at helping survivors during a forum at Virginia Wesleyan University Tuesday.
Olivia was the first person in the state to have her record erased, which included misdemeanor charges, as part of the law.
Thanks to a 2021 law, certain charges like prostitution will be cleared from the criminal record of trafficking survivors if they prove the crime was committed due to being trafficked.
During a discussion panel at Blocker Auditorium, Olivia shared how this legal shift changed her life, and said it will change the lives of other survivors moving forward.
"I think that it's important for us to not stop here," said Olivia. "I feel like we got the stepping stone. Now, it's time to build a bridge."
Olivia was a lead advocate for the passage of the law and previously spoke with 13News Now about her experience.
"For victims of human trafficking, this is only partial relief though," said Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi. "Because an expungement or a ceiling is an act of grace from the government. A vacate petition is a vindication that a victim was treated as a criminal and was saddled with a criminal record when they in fact were victims."
Starting in 2025, according to Fatehi, there will be a much more expansive law that will help Virginians expunge low level, non-violent crimes after a certain amount of time.
Former Governor Ralph Northam signed the Virginia vacatur law in 2021. The law acknowledges trafficking survivors were forced or coerced when committing certain crimes.