On Thursday, January 17, 2019 Scholars Academy Magnet for Business and Law Senior Reilly Arford spoke to a South Carolina Senate subcommittee on strengthening protection for minors who meet the definition of having been trafficked. On average, freed victims of trafficking only live another 7 years based on federal State Department statistics. South Carolina has a great bill on the table to help these victims, S.188, but Arford would like the bill to add free expungement of non-violent offenses to other protections they are trying to put in place for minor victims so that they can get student loans and jobs and other things to start a new life. Arford also serves as the Human Trafficking Youth Awareness subcommittee Chairperson for the Attorney General’s Office.
