On 1 Nov 2022, Shared Hope International (SHI), a leading anti-child sex trafficking organization in the U.S., just released their 2022 Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking measuring how states address fighting and preventing this injustice. States are graded by applying an advanced legislative framework to ensure robust and trauma-informed protections for child and youth survivors of sex trafficking. The framework analyzes 40 key components—or areas of law— vital to delivering survivor-centered responses.
Report Cards
You can simply click on your state on the online SHI interactive map and see details on how your state scored. The infographic provides an overall score, individual scores for each of the six issue areas:
1. Criminal Provisions
2. Identification of and Response to Victims
3. Continuum of Care
4. Access to Justice for Trafficking Survivors
5. Tools for a Victim-Centered Criminal Justice Response
6. Prevention and Training
and Extra Credit (Youth; Child Labor Trafficking). Issue Highlights describe areas of strength and weakness. There are links to download the state Report Card and Law Analysis Report which thoroughly reviews each state’s law under the policy goals of the advanced legislative framework and provides recommendations for addressing gaps. Analysis Reports are updated annually to reflect legislative changes. Each Report Card includes a link to engage with your legislators (see below).
Toolkit
The 2022 Toolkit is intended to be used in conjunction with the report cards. It details the methodology, legislative framework and policy goals, definitions, state keystone statutes, state and national average scores, etc.
Engaging Legislators
The Report Card link to engage with your legislators generates a preformatted email sharing the Report Card results and encouraging lawmakers to contribute to the movement to end child and youth sex trafficking in the United States by pursuing the appropriate legislative changes to prioritize strong anti-trafficking policies and ensuring comprehensive support for survivors of this egregious crime.
Technical Assistance
For legislators and partner non-profits that assist elected officials in creating legislation, request a consultation with the SHI Policy Team online at sharedhope.org/legislative-technical-assistance. SHI will set up a meeting to discuss your legislative goals and create a customized goal for ongoing technical assistance, bill drafting services, and legislative support.