Women's Equality Act: Ceretto passes anti-sex trafficking bill

Assemblyman John Ceretto, R-C-I-Lewiston, today passed legislation he co-sponsored that establishes greater protections for women who become sex trafficking victims.

This legislation was previously part of a fierce partisan battle in which Assembly Democrats refused to separate this and seven other non-controversial women's equality bills from a highly controversial late-term abortion expansion bill.

Ceretto said today's vote is a major victory for women's rights in New York. He vowed to continue working to pass all the non-controversial women's equality bills.

"The women who become victims of sex trafficking schemes need and deserve the strongest protections possible," Ceretto said. "This anti-sex trafficking bill creates those protections. While this legislation should have passed two years ago, I was proud to help pass this bill and look forward to working in a bipartisan manner to pass the other important measures, including my equal pay legislation."

The comprehensive anti-sex trafficking legislation, A00506, would enact tougher penalties for those who participate in the sex trafficking industry, establish legal protections and increase the quality of social services available for women who are abused in sex trafficking rings.

While passage of the anti-sex trafficking bill is a major achievement for women in New York, Ceretto said, there are still seven other women's equality bills that remain attached to late-term abortion expansion. These bills include measures to combat domestic violence, workplace and housing discrimination. Ceretto also sponsors equal pay legislation that makes it illegal for employers to pay women less than men for the same work.