Shared Hope International’s report cards are aimed at improving
legislation to protect child and youth sex trafficking
survivors. The report cards are used to press for a national
standard of victim-centered justice, which can be achieved only
if all states are actively working to develop and implement
robust protections and just responses to children and youth who
have experienced trafficking.
Shared Hope has produced the report cards and state analyses
annually since 2011 as a tool to assist public policy activists
and state elected officials in developing and advocating for
better laws to support sex trafficking survivors.
“The goal in 2011 when we first started the report cards was
because there was a real gap between what existed in laws at the
federal level and what existed at the state level,” Christine
Raino, senior director of Public Policy at Shared Hope, told The
Center Square.
Illinois was one of several states to receive an “F” grade for
its efforts, including a poor score in the category of
identification of and response to victims. Illinois also
received a poor grade in prevention and training in the area for
juvenile justice agencies, law enforcement, prosecutors and
school personnel.
The organization said it recognizes a range of policy, practice,
and cultural responses to sex trafficking victims in each state.
The report cards evaluate only statutes and use 40 policy goals
in six issue areas in its grading system.
The top three states for their robust protections and just
responses to children and youth who have experienced trafficking
are Tennessee, Florida and Minnesota.
“We applaud the progress that states have made in recent years,”
Shared Hope Founder and President Linda Smith said. “At the same
time, many states continue to struggle in their legislative
efforts. This creates a wild patchwork of statutes across the
country, with the number and quality of legal protections and
responses literally all over the map.”
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