A Lower House committee approved Tuesday a set of bills that would punish people involved in human-trafficking and grant victims special residency status to protect them even if they have overstayed their visas.
The bills to revise the Penal Code and the immigration law, passed by the House of Councilors in April, will be submitted for a vote at the full Lower House later this week. They were approved Tuesday by the House of Representatives Judicial Affairs Committee.
Under the bills, those who "purchase" people to put them under their control would face punishment of three months to five years. The maximum punishment would be increased to seven years if the victim is a minor.