TYLER, Texas (KLTV) - A law going into effect this week will shield some human trafficking victims from punishment for certain crimes.

Senate Bill 11 , authored by State Sen. Tan Parker (R-Flower Mound) and signed by Gov. Greg Abbott (R-Texas) in September, allows human trafficking victims to avoid punishment for a crime if they can prove that the use of force, fraud, or coercion led them to do so.

“This bill really does an amazing job of protecting victims who were forced to commit crimes under coercion,” said Maria Villarreal, East Texas CESY (Commercially Sexually Exploited Youth) advocacy coordinator for Unbound Now, a non-profit that helps victims of human trafficking.

Villarreal mentioned Unbound Now has helped over 100 survivors of human trafficking and high-risk youth in East T

See Full Page