Mid-Michigan saw the signing of eight new bills into law on Monday, Dec. 30, and one of them is taking a strong stand against human trafficking while offering more support to survivors of sexual assault. The signing took place in Lansing, with Governor Gretchen Whitmer leading the charge for these changes.
Angela Dudley, a volunteer advocate with the Genesee Human Oppression Strike Team, shared how this new law could make a real difference for survivors. “It will make it less intimidating for them to face their accuser,” she said. Her words reflect the relief many feel as survivors gain more protections in a legal system that can often feel overwhelming.
For Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson, this is a big win. “This helps ease the pain of victims trying to regain their freedom and become survivors,” he said. The new bills—Senate Bills 515, 516, and 517—are designed to update how sex trafficking cases are handled. One key change is allowing survivors to provide written testimony instead of being required to take the stand in court.
“Many of these victims have been trafficked dozens, sometimes even hundreds of times,” Swanson explained. “Reliving those experiences in court can be unbearable, especially when they’ve already given a statement and there’s other evidence available. These changes remove some of those painful barriers.”
Another significant impact of these bills is that they make it harder for cases to be dismissed or downgraded to lesser charges just because a victim cannot or will not testify. Sheriff Swanson noted how important this is, saying, “We’ve had cases thrown out because victims were too afraid to testify. Often, their testimony is the strongest evidence we have.”
Victim advocates, like Dudley, are relieved to see these changes. She explained how the trauma of human trafficking, sexual assault, and domestic violence can leave victims with long-lasting emotional scars. Forcing them to recount their stories repeatedly in court only retraumatizes them. “When victims have to face the stand multiple times, especially with trauma bonding and Stockholm syndrome in play, it just adds to their suffering,” Dudley said.
These bills also allow prosecutors to present a suspect’s prior history of sexual offenses as evidence, which could be crucial in these cases. Swanson stressed the importance of this, saying, “We want the courts and jurors to see patterns of predatory behavior. For repeat offenders, this kind of information is key.”
Not everyone sees these changes without concern. Criminal defense attorney Nicholas Robinson acknowledged that these new laws could present challenges for defense teams but said it’s just part of the job. “Whatever the laws are, we’ll work within that framework to serve our clients,” Robinson said. “It might make things more challenging, but if you’re not adapting, you’re not doing your job.”
With these new laws in place, Michigan is taking a stronger stand against human trafficking while giving survivors the support they need to heal and move forward. This is a step forward for justice, ensuring survivors are heard without being retraumatized.
