Our Story

Release of White Van PSA on June 5^th as the main resource being promoted through our awareness campaign.

Just Like Me Campaign Launches in tandem with Linda Smith Appearance on Dr Drew program on Fox Business News.

REPORT CARDS Released!  Continuing our annual release,  2023 is the first year that a state achieved a A under the new framework.  2023 is also the first year we released Safe Harbor Scorecards for every state.

Celebrating our 10th year gathering as a JuST Conference, Shared Hope welcomed 1000 participants in DC.

With the release of our new online training suite: VOI, RESPOND, and EXPLOITED in the second half of 2023, we are meeting a need on our nation for free trainings.  Shared Hope is changing the nation one class at a time.

Shared Hope released CHOSEN: Stop Predators – a suite of three education packages tailored for public schools, private schools and homeschool audiences.

Creation and implementation of a standardized internet safety presentation for Ambassadors to use with middle and high school age students.

2022 Report Cards were released, signifying the first year over year improvement visibility for Report Card grades  in US States.

JuST Conference 2022 took place in Fort Worth Texas with massive attendance from Texas and Arizona participants.

Pathbreaker award given to Senator Fedor and Alexis “Kee” Martin – panel discussion moderated by Washington Post reporter Jessica Contrera at the Shared Hope JuST Conference.

A successful advocacy campaign for Sara Kruzan supported the effort for her pardon– granted in 2022.

Invading the Darkness Podcast

Invading the Darkness podcast series launches

Faith Initiatives Facebook Live

Shared Hope launches a yearlong Faith Initiatives Facebook Live Series

Omni Hotels to Fight Sex Trafficking

Shared Hope enters into a multi-year cooperative agreement with Omni Hotels and Resorts to fight sex trafficking, including training for Omni employees and contractors.

Virtual Advocacy Summit

Shared Hope holds a Virtual Advocacy Summit to safely bring together more than 60 Ambassadors of Hope with their federal legislators and led to more than 850 tweets, calls and emails to legislators to continue to press for federal legislative action on bills addressing aspects of sex trafficking.

30 Days of Prayer

More than 1,000 people registered to attend the virtual 30 Days of Prayer to bring faith to the fight against DMST culminating in the Shared Hope National Day of Prayer to End Child Sex Trafficking.

JuST LIVE! State Action. National Change

JuST LIVE! State Action. National Change Webinar Series substitutes for the annual JuST Conference due to Covid-19 pandemic, more than 1,200 people registered for 5,488 individual webinars.

Dangers of DMST

Shared Hope provides an online training called “Dangers of DMST” for 5,000 school counselors online.

 

 

Faith Initiatives Webinar Series

Faith Initiatives Webinar Series launches.

The Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking

Shared Hope is nominated to the Public-Private Partnership Advisory Council to End Human Trafficking to advise the Senior Policy Operating Group and the President’s Interagency Task Force to Monitor and Combat Trafficking on federal agency human trafficking programs; report sent to White House and all members of the President’s Interagency Task Force.

Mississippi Public Health Institute

Shared Hope provides an accredited team training virtually for the Mississippi Public Health Institute on identifying and responding to child & youth sex trafficking

Release of the VOI report.

Shared Hope Institute for Justice & Advocacy 

Shared Hope Institute for Justice & Advocacy open in Washington, DC to house policy research, training, legislative assistance and advocacy.

Seeking Justice Toolkit

Shared Hope’s Seeking Justice Toolkit presents guidance to understanding the various statutory approaches states have taken to eliminate a minor’s criminal liability for prostitution and other offenses related to their victimization.

JuST Conference 2019

JuST Conference Cincinnati convened 1,060 stakeholders, survivors and advocates for three days of learning and thought leadership.

The National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth

Shared Hope is a member of the National Advisory Committee on the Sex Trafficking of Children and Youth in the United States which publishes Best Practices and Recommendations for States to combat the sex trafficking of children and youth in the United States.

500 Coaches and Staff Trained

Shared Hope trains 500 coaches and staff for Hillsboro County School District in Tampa, FL.

The Outcry for Cyntoia Brown

Shared Hope joins outcry for the release of DMST victim Cyntoia Brown from prison through campaign bringing awareness to the importance of non–criminalization of children who commit offenses while trafficked and launching the Stop the Injustice Campaign.

Internet Safety

Shared Hope produces the Internet Safety Series in response to growing use of the internet to sexually target and exploit youth.

Freedom Conference

Shared Hope trains social workers on protective responses in DMST cases at the Light the Way to Freedom Conference in Austin, TX 

To Nepal and India

Founder Linda Smith travels to Nepal and India with senior staff to visit restoration partners and dedicate Pune, India partner Sparsh’s new home.

Research to Action

The Research to Action Meeting series begins convening stakeholders in next step strategy sessions around the USA.

Invading the Darkness Published

Shared Hope founder, Linda Smith, released a new book “Invading the Darkness: Inside the Historic Fight against Child Sex Trafficking in the United States”. An eye opening inside look at the historic movement to stop the injustice of sexually trafficked children in America. Invading the Darkness highlights who these modern-day abolitionists are and how their strategic work shaped the fight to stop the injustice of child sex trafficking in our nation.

2018 Protected Innocence Challenge

In 2018, 4 states raised their grade. Most improved were South Carolina and Alabama. Since the Challenge started in 2011, 48 states have raised their grades.

JuST Conference San Diego

The Nation’s Leading Conference on Juvenile Sex Trafficking

Close to 1,100 people were empowered and trained at our JuST Conference in San Diego. We convened, trained, and equipped professionals, advocates, and 70 survivor leaders through 81 sessions, including 77 workshops and four plenary presentations.

DMST 101 e-Learning Course

Launch of DMST 101 e-learning course offering training on the basics of juvenile sex trafficking.

JuST Faith Summit

The second, bi-annual JuST Faith Summit gathered together faith leaders and advocates, mobilizing these people of faith to end sex trafficking.

i:CARE e-Learning Course

Launch of i:CARE e-learning course providing in-depth training for physicians, nurses, and EMS personnel.

JuST Web Series

Shared Hope launched our JuST Web Series with 545 attendees. This new e-learning series spanned six weeks following our JuST Conference, providing 12 trainings focusing on a variety of critically important topics.

JuST Conference New Orleans

The Nation’s Leading Conference on Juvenile Sex Trafficking

860 attendees from 45 states, Canada and France, including 175 police officers and 100 survivors of sex trafficking, came together in New Orleans.

Release of the Seeking Justice Report.

Stop the Injustice Campaign Launch

Shared Hope launched our  Stop the Injustice Campaign to end the criminalization of child sex trafficking victims by fighting for justice for children who are falsely labeled as prostitutes.

Pathbreaker Award Recipient

 

.Congressman Chris Smith–Lifetime Pathbreaker

Joint Congressional Caucus Briefing and Premier of I AM JANE DOE

SHI is co-host of briefing and attends the D.C premier of this brilliant film that features mothers of children sold for sex on Internet sites and argues that Internet Content Service Providers (ICSPs) should be held accountable for being facilitators of this criminal activity.

Pathbreaker Award Recipients

Michelle Guymon, Director of Child Trafficking Unit, Los Angeles County Probation Department; Margie Quinn, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

JuST Conference

The 2016 conference is again held at the Gaylord National Harbor and continues to grow, with attendance topping 750. Nearly 70 survivors of sex trafficking participate and many receive scholarships to attend. The JuST Response Council releases a peer-endorsed publication settling the definition of DMST and the position of non-criminalization of minors.

Ernie Allen, Special Advisor

SHI welcomes Ernie Allen , widely recognized expert on child protection and former CEO of both the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and its international counterpart, as Special Advisor to the President.

Village of Hope, Pune

SHI purchases 3 acres of land outside Pune, India as a location for future permanent home for SPARSH (“touch”), our partner in that city. Founders have provided a home for children of the Pune brothels, but without their own housing, they must continually move.

Release of Protective Response Model Field Guidance.

JuST First Response Conference

SHI’s second 2016 conference is held in Mesa, AZ and targets professionals in law enforcement, healthcare, restoration services and emergency response. The conference features the release of i:CARE, a Health Care Practitioner’s Guide to Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking.

JuST Faith Summit

This conference, designed to equip the faith community to fight child sex trafficking is the first of three JuST conferences for 2016. Held in Orlando, SHI hosts 425 faith leaders at Northland Church. Each attendee leaves equipped with the Faith In Action Kit, a toolkit to enable faith leaders to propagate prevention and restoration efforts.

Pathbreaker Award Recipients

Thomas Dart, Sheriff, Cook County IL; Alexandra (Sandi) Pierce, PhD, Founder and President of Othayonih Research; John Cotton Richmond, Special Litigation Counsel with the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice.

JuST Conference

This event becomes the premier anti-child sex trafficking event and moves to the Gaylord National Harbor to host 700 attendees. Sixty survivors of sex trafficking attend, many receiving scholarships from SHI donors. Policy paper on Third Party Control Barrier to Identifying Juvenile Sex Trafficking Victims is released with approval of JuST Response Council.

Amicus Brief

SHI files an amicus brief in conjunction with the case brought by three minor victims of sex trafficking against Backpage.com. Our anti-demand efforts that began in 2006 with the DEMAND report are continuous and persistent, particularly targeting Internet sites like Backpage.com that facilitate child sex trafficking.

Demanding Justice Arizona

SHI releases a field assessment of demand deterrence and enforcement and justice afforded to victims in Arizona. Law enforcement training is held in conjunction with the release at Arizona State University as well as a second meeting of the JuST Response Council.

Nepal Earthquake

A devastating earthquake badly damages Asha Nepal, but thankfully no lives are lost. Shared Hope immediately responds with financial and engineering resources to repair the buildings and residents pitch in to help their community recover.

JuST Response Council
SHI establishes this council, made up of leaders in the anti-child sex trafficking movement and government observers, and organizes first meeting in Washington, DC. This group will provide guidance on policy recommendations to government and advice to the field. At the meeting the JuST Response State System Mapping Report is pre-released, providing a review of current statutes, systems and service responses to juvenile sex trafficking. The JuST Response Council goes on to create several resources for policy makers and field experts available at sharedhope.org/justresponse.

Pathbreaker Award Recipients

Congressman Frank Wolf—Lifetime Pathbreaker; Rev. Dr. Marian Hatcher, Project Manager at the Sheriff’s Women’s Justice Programs for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office; Brendan Johnson, U.S. Attorney.

Initial Convening of the  JuST Response Council.

Traffic Stop

A second National Colloquium is convened in partnerships with the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges and Casey Family Programs to dig deeper in systemic barriers to juvenile sex trafficking. This report summarizes discussion and provides valuable insight on current trends for state child serving agency response to domestic minor sex trafficking.

JuST Conference

SHI’s first Juvenile Sex Trafficking (JuST) Conference is held in Washington, DC for approximately 400 attendees. During pre-conference, the JuST Response Congressional Briefing is held on Capitol Hill in conjunction with the Victims’ Rights Caucus.

Nights of Hope

Shared Hope celebrates 16 years by hosting four young people who have grown up in the care of our partner, Asha Nepal. Their mothers were lost to the brothels, but these young adults now are heading for advanced education and careers in banking, teaching and social work. They are the stars of Night of Hope events in Washington state, Florida, and Washington, DC.

Demanding Justice Report

Deeper research on demand (Section 2 of Protected Innocence Challenge) is released in the form of this report and accompanying website, www.demandingjustice.org. The project examines the criminal justice outcomes in prosecutions of buyers of sex acts with juveniles from 2008 to current period.

Gang TRAP and Chosen Gang Edition

In response to the rising trend of gang sex trafficking, Shared Hope produces Gang TRAP , a 4-part training DVD for professionals to identify and respond to gang trafficking. Chosen Gang Edition is a 12-minute video with accompanying resources to teach teens the dangers of gang involvement, including sex trafficking.

CHOSEN Youth Sex Trafficking Prevention Resource

SHI releases one of the first youth sex trafficking prevention video and resource packages. The film tells the true stories of two teenage girls who were tricked by traffickers. The accompanying resource package includes additional tools to further discussion, learning and action. CHOSEN is featured on MSN News and thousands of copies are distributed within the first year.

Pathbreaker Award Recipients

Congressman Judge Ted Poe; Vednita Carter, Founder and President, Breaking Free; Cynthia Cordes, Assistant U.S. Attorney.

Montana Sees a Billboard

Over 200 first responders and community members attend Do You Know Lacy? in Kalispell, Montana and a billboard is erected to warn drivers that sex trafficking is a prevalent issue in their community.

Training Jamaican youth

Shared Hope staff visits partners in Montego Bay and Negril, Jamaica. The team meets with government leaders in Kingston to introduce them to local nongovernmental anti-trafficking organizations and encourage collaboration

Florida Victim Identification Strategy

Shared Hope International enters a strategic partnership with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice to conduct a pilot project using Shared Hope’s intake tool INTERVENE in three juvenile assessment centers.

Times Square

Over 1.5 million people a day pass Shared Hope’s billboard advertisement in Times Square. The ad reminds viewers that sex trafficking can happen to anyone, anywhere.

National Colloquium: Shelter and Services Evaluation for Action
Experts convene from around the nation at the U.S. Capitol for a gathering hosted by SHI, the Congressional Caucus for Victim’s Rights and the Congressional Caucus for Women’s Issues. The resulting report distills perspectives from over 100 provider, survivor, government, advocacy, and funding experts on trends and barriers to secure restorative shelter and services for juvenile sex trafficking victims.

Pathbreaker Award Recipients

Ernie Allen, Founding Chairman of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and President and CEO, International Center for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC); Amy O’Neill Richard, Senior Advisor to the Director in the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons; Drew Oosterbaan, Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the U.S. Department of Justice; Deborah J. Richardson, Executive Vice President of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

Political Convention Campaigns

Shared Hope International launches billboard campaigns in Charlotte and Tampa in conjunction with the Democrat and Republican National Conventions. Shared Hope partners with the Zonta Club of Pinellas County to launch nine billboards in the Tampa area. A mobile billboard drives through the convention area in Charlotte displaying the anti-demand message.

Pathbreaker Award Recipients

Attorney General Greg Abbott (TX); Attorney General Martha Coakley (MA); Attorney General Rob McKenna (WA).

First Do You Know Lacy? Community Training

This training on child sex trafficking is first hosted in two locations in Washington state. The 5-track format offers specialized instruction in the identification and response to trafficking for law enforcement, juvenile service providers, youth advocates, community members and Defenders. Subsequent Do You Know Lacy? training events are held in Montana (2012), Oregon (2013) and Washington DC (2013).

Training Grounds

Shared Hope International hits the training circuit hard. Within four months, Shared Hope presents to over 1,000 advocates in Arizona, California, Texas, Maryland, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.

First U.S. Pathbreaker Award Recipient

Sergeant John Chapman, Vancouver, WA Police Department.

DMST Field Assessments
Private sources fund field assessments in South Florida (2009), Arizona (2010), and Washington (2011).

INTERVENE Practitioner Guide and Intake Tool

This innovative training course developed with assistance from a multi-disciplinary committee of experts and survivors in the field of service provision for victims of domestic minor sex trafficking makes its first appearance at training events for first responders in the state of Washington and later becomes the foundation for statewide intake assessments in several states.

National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking

SHI releases the first study on child sex trafficking in America. The report introduces into common use the term Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking and the abbreviation, DMST, and helps change how a U.S. child sex trafficking victim is viewed. This report, along with the DEMAND Report, is entered into the Congressional record.

Renting Lacy

Renting Lacy, a story of America’s prostituted children written by Shared Hope International founder Linda Smith, is published.

Village of Hope, India

Several small apartments in Mumbai serve as immediate shelter. Working with Bombay Teen Challenge, SHI finances construction of a major portion of the 72-acre, village-style development comprised of housing, a central facility for meals and fellowship, and a vocational school. The facility is named Ashagram (Village of Hope)

Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking (DMST) Research and Technical Assistance

Shared Hope, with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), coordinates with DOJ-funded human trafficking task forces to conduct assessments in 10 U.S. locations.

Training Resources on Child Sex Trafficking in the U.S.

SHI creates educational resources that provide a baseline understanding of domestic minor sex trafficking (DMST) to anti-trafficking task force members and first responders who work in the field.

U.S. Mid-Term Review for the World Congress Against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

SHI spearheads the U.S. Mid-Term Review bringing together leaders from across the USA to assess progress made combating the sexual slavery of children in America. Later, SHI convened a regional review with leaders from Canada joining those in the U.S. resulting in a report to the World Congress held in Brazil. SHI was part of the official U.S. delegation to the World Congress.

Ganga is Married

One of the first girls rescued to Village of Hope in India is married. Linda and Vern Smith host and join in the wedding celebration in India as honored ‘auntie and uncle’. Many other marriages follow in coming years as trafficked girls heal and find worthy husbands.

Village of Hope, South Africa

Shared Hope and a local partner purchase and remodel a compound to house women and children abused by gangs and the sex industry in Capetown. The facility provides a safe place to heal, nutrition, medical help, and education.

Predator Project

In collaboration with local law enforcement, local government officials and public disclosure, SHI’s Predator Project captures over 150 hours of interviews in 14 countries of predators and their victims. Evidence gathered is presented to key stakeholders and contributes to the increase of laws of prosecution and greater services for victims in more than six countries.

Sharing the Hope

The first Sharing the Hope takes place in Washington, D.C., bringing together hundreds in support of SHI’s mission to eradicate sex trafficking of women and children. Sharing the Hope is held again in three later years before transitioning into the conference-style JuST Conference.

Village of Hope, Fiji

SHI helps purchase 40 acres of land and erect buildings for a restoration facility in Fiji. The WIN program includes a commercial bakery and flower growing.

Esmerelda Campaign

Shared Hope launches the award-winning ‘Esmerelda Campaign,’ a public awareness campaign against sex trafficking that airs throughout the Dominican Republic.

First World Summit

WATA and U.S. Department of State host the first World Summit, ‘Path Breaking Strategies in the Global Fight Against Sex Trafficking,’ convening activists from 114 countries to discuss practical solutions to the problems of sex tourism and trafficking.

HIV/AIDS Clinic Opens in Mumbai

SHI helps fund opening of physician-staffed facility in the heart of Mumbai’s red light district, providing anti-retroviral treatment to infected women free-of-charge.

Jamaica

SHI partners with Teen Challenge, Jamaica to create much needed services for victims of sex trafficking.

War Against Trafficking Alliance (WATA)

Linda Smith initiates the formation of WATA, an effort to coordinate regional and international efforts to fight sex trafficking worldwide. Other leaders in the alliance include International Justice Mission, Salvation Army, USA, and the Johns Hopkins School of International Studies-Protection Project.

Village of Hope, Nepal

SHI helps girls trafficked from Nepal to India return home to begin a new life and establishes housing for them. The name chosen is Asha Nepal (Hope Nepal).

Women’s Investment Network (WIN)

WIN program is established, training women to enter the work force and empowering them to achieve financial independence. Established as a program at SHI headquarters and becomes a key component to all SHI partnerships.

Mobile services in Mumbai

Mobile HIV/AIDS clinic and food van launched into hard to reach brothel areas of Mumbai.