Delaware panel would review cases of suspected child trafficking

State and local agencies that investigate child trafficking would report suspected child victims to Delaware’s Child Protection Accountability Commission for review. The reviews cover children whom responsible state or local agencies suspect of being trafficked. The review panel could require witnesses and records related to a case. Review records would be confidential. The panel would start within three months of a report and finish within 12 months unless there is good cause.

Delaware’s child protection agency would investigate qualifying reports of suspected child trafficking. A report qualifies as a team case when the suspected trafficking, if true, would be a crime or attempted crime against a child, even if no one is charged. Police and child protection staff would coordinate interviews and medical exams where appropriate.

Police and child protection staff would apply the advocacy center interview rule to children ages 3 through 12. Suspected trafficking alone would not place every child outside ages 3 through 12 under this interview rule. Good cause can excuse an advocacy center interview.

Delaware’s child protection agency could arrange medical exams without caregiver consent. This covers a child reported as a suspected trafficking victim and siblings or other children in the home, when the case is classified for a team investigation. The agency director or a designee must approve the exam first and find it necessary to protect the child’s health and safety.