Florida Statutes 90.5037 – Human trafficking victim advocate-victim privilege
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(1) For purposes of this section, the term:
(a) “Anti-human trafficking organization” means a registered public or private agency that offers assistance to victims of the offense of human trafficking, as defined in s. 787.06(2).
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 90.5037
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- person: includes individuals, children, firms, associations, joint adventures, partnerships, estates, trusts, business trusts, syndicates, fiduciaries, corporations, and all other groups or combinations. See Florida Statutes 1.01
- Victim advocate: work with prosecutors and assist the victims of a crime.
(b) “Human trafficking victim” means a person who consults a human trafficking victim advocate or a trained volunteer for the purpose of securing advice, counseling, or services concerning a need arising from an experience of human trafficking exploitation.
(c) “Human trafficking victim advocate” means an employee of an anti-human trafficking organization whose primary purpose is to provide advice, counseling, or services to human trafficking victims and who complies with the training requirements under subsection (5).
(d) “Trained volunteer” means a person who volunteers with an anti-human trafficking organization and who complies with the training requirements under subsection (5).
(2) A communication between a human trafficking victim advocate or trained volunteer and a human trafficking victim is confidential if it is not intended to be disclosed to third persons other than:
(a) Those persons present to further the interest of the human trafficking victim in the consultation, examination, or interview.
(b) Those persons necessary for the transmission of the communication.
(c) Those persons to whom disclosure is reasonably necessary to accomplish the purposes for which the human trafficking victim advocate or trained volunteer is consulted.
(3) A human trafficking victim has a privilege to refuse to disclose, and to prevent any other person from disclosing, a confidential communication made by the human trafficking victim to a human trafficking victim advocate or trained volunteer or a record made in the course of advising, counseling, or providing services to the human trafficking victim. Such confidential communication or record may be disclosed only with the prior written consent of the human trafficking victim. This privilege includes any advice given by the human trafficking victim advocate or trained volunteer to the human trafficking victim in the course of that relationship.
(4) The privilege may be claimed by:
(a) The human trafficking victim or the human trafficking victim’s attorney on his or her behalf.
(b) The guardian or conservator of the human trafficking victim.
(c) The personal representative of a deceased human trafficking victim.
(d) The human trafficking victim advocate or trained volunteer, but only on behalf of the human trafficking victim. The authority of a human trafficking victim advocate or trained volunteer to claim the privilege is presumed in the absence of evidence to the contrary.
(5) A human trafficking victim advocate or a trained volunteer shall:
(a) Complete 24 hours of human trafficking training delivered by the Office of the Attorney General, the Bureau of Criminal Justice Programs and Victim Services, and the Florida Crime Prevention Training Institute.
(b) Within 3 years after completing the training required under paragraph (a), complete an 8-hour human trafficking update course.