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ARKANSAS legislation
Code of Arkansas
A.C.A. § 5-18-103: Trafficking of persons.
SYNOPSIS: A PERSON COMMITS THE OFFENSE OF TRAFFICKING OF PERSONS IF HE OR SHE KNOWINGLY RECRUITS OR MAINTAINS A PERSON KNOWING THAT THE PERSON WILL BE SUBJECTED TO INVOLUNTARY SERVITUDE. MISTAKE OF AGE OR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE OF THE VICTIM’S AGE IS NOT A DEFENSE.
A.C.A. § 5-18-103
Trafficking of persons.
(a) A person commits the offense of trafficking of persons if he or she knowingly:
(1) Recruits, harbors, transports, obtains, entices, solicits, isolates, provides, or maintains a person knowing that the person will be subjected to involuntary servitude;
(2) Benefits financially or benefits by receiving anything of value from participation in a venture under subdivision (a)(1) of this section;
(3) Subjects a person to involuntary servitude;
(4) Recruits, entices, solicits, isolates, harbors, transports, provides, maintains, or obtains a minor for commercial sexual activity;
(5) Sells or offers to sell travel services that he or she knows include an activity prohibited under subdivisions (a)(1)-(4) of this section;
(6) Recruits, entices, solicits, isolates, harbors, transports, provides, maintains, or obtains a pregnant woman for the purpose of causing the pregnant woman to place her unborn child for adoption by:
(A) The use of or threatened use of physical force;
(B) The physical restraint or threat of physical restraint of a person;
(C) Serious physical injury or threat of serious physical injury to a person;
(D) Abuse or threatened abuse of law or legal process;
(E) Any scheme, plan, or pattern that has a purpose to cause the pregnant woman to believe that, if the pregnant woman does not place the unborn child for adoption, a person would suffer serious physical injury or physical restraint; or
(F) Means of serious harm or threats of serious harm to a person; or
(7) Benefits financially or benefits by receiving anything of value from participating in an act described under subdivision (a)(6) of this section.
(b) It is not a defense to prosecution under subdivision (a)(4) of this section that the actor:
(1) Did not have knowledge of a victim's age; or
(2) Mistakenly believed a victim was not a minor.
(c)
(1) Trafficking of persons is a Class A felony.
(2) Trafficking of persons is a Class Y felony if a victim was a minor at the time of the offense.
(d) In addition to any other sentence authorized by this section, a person who violates this section by offering to pay, agreeing to pay, or paying a fee to engage in sexual activity upon conviction shall be ordered to pay a fine of two hundred fifty dollars ($250) to be deposited into the Safe Harbor Fund for Sexually Exploited Children.