RCW 43.280.120
Findings-Intent- 2023 c 268: "(1) As the first state in the nation to pass a human trafficking law, Washington has consistently been at the forefront of work to address and prevent human trafficking. The legislature is continuing this leadership by prioritizing the delivery of services for adults with lived experience of sex trafficking by developing a long-term, coordinated, and supportive network of services.
(2) The legislature finds that numerous sex trafficking victims are moved throughout the state of Washington by their traffickers, established by the following:
(a) In 2020, the national human trafficking hotline ranked Washington 11th in the nation for reported cases of human trafficking.
(b) In 2020, 819 survivors of sex trafficking were served by human service agencies in Washington.
(c) In 2020, the highest numbers of likely sex trafficking victims were identified or served in King, Pierce, Benton, Franklin, Clark, Snohomish, Spokane, and Thurston counties.
(3) The legislature finds that the trauma of sex trafficking often starts in childhood and continues into adulthood, established by the following:
(a) A local study of sex trafficking victims in King county estimated 500-700 youth experiencing exploitation in King county alone.
(b) According to data from the national hotline, among likely sex trafficking victims in Washington who reported their age of entry into exploitation, 89 percent reported that they were children when first exploited.
(4) The legislature finds that vulnerable black, brown, indigenous, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, two-spirit, intersex, asexual, and other identities that fall outside of cisgender and heterosexual paradigms are disproportionately trafficked for sex, including that:
(a) While King county's population is seven percent black, 45 percent of children involved in sex trafficking cases are African American;
(b) Black females currently represent about 13 percent of the United States population but represent 40 percent of suspected human trafficking victims;
(c) While King county's population was .9 percent indigenous in 2020, 10 percent of people receiving services for trafficking and sexual exploitation identified as Native American;
(d) One case worker in Pierce county reported that over the past two years, 78 percent of the missing and murdered indigenous women and persons cases she worked on involved missing women who had indicators of human trafficking.
(5) In order to reduce the trauma, violence, and disproportionate impact of sex trafficking, the legislature intends to create a network of healing, support, and transition services for adults with lived experience of sex trafficking tailored to the self-determined needs of each individual." [2023 c 268 § 1.]