Identifying Effective Counter-Trafficking Programs and Practices in the U.S.: Legislative, Legal, and Public Opinion Strategies that Work is a recent study that examines arrests or prosecutions under state human trafficking laws and public perceptions of human trafficking. The key findings in this study point to the need for comprehensive legislation that goes beyond criminal penalties […]
Maricopa County Prosecution Wins Guilty Verdict for Buyer in 20 Minutes
Prosecutors in Phoenix are celebrating a major victory this week after securing a guilty verdict for a man convicted under Arizona’s “child prostitution” law for attempting to buy sex with a law enforcement officer who he believed to be a 16 year old girl. According to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, this is the first […]
JuST Response Policy Paper
Eliminating the Third Party Control Barrier to Identifying Juvenile Sex Trafficking Victims This paper evaluates the fundamental importance of defining sex trafficking to include all instances of commercial sexual exploitation of minors. Beyond the question of whether force, fraud or coercion was used by the offender, this discussion addresses the impact of requiring that a [...]
Open Letter to Hawaii Gov. Ige: Establish State’s First Sex Trafficking Law
Hawaii: last state without a sex trafficking law Shared Hope International, Family Programs Hawaii, Ho ‘ōla Nā Pua, and IMUAlliance have sent a letter to Hawaii Governor Ige encouraging him to allow the enactment of SB 265, which would be the state's first sex trafficking law. Learn MoreProposed Advancements for Juvenile Sex Trafficking Victims in Hawaii’s Senate Bill [...]
Virginia General Assembly Votes Unanimously to Pass Landmark Legislation that would Establish Virginia’s First Standalone Sex Trafficking Law
Arlington, VA—Today the Virginia General Assembly unanimously passed legislation which would establish Virginia’s first standalone sex trafficking law. Currently, Virginia is the only state in the nation without a human trafficking law. Without a sex trafficking law in place, Virginia law enforcement and prosecutors have had to rely on substitute laws and makeshift strategies to […]
