On Thursday, news broke that Backpage.com CEO Carl Ferrer was arrested in Texas (on a California warrant) on felony charges of pimping a minor. It’s about time. It is rare to read a press release now that doesn’t mention Backpage.com as a factor in a child sex trafficking arrest. In fact, Shared Hope has tracked […]
Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Mesa, AZ
The Mesa City Council announced a Proclamation establishing June 26-July 2 as Human Trafficking Awareness Week in Mesa, Arizona. Mesa law enforcement and officials have taken up the fight against human trafficking, working with Shared Hope and the Arizona Anti-Trafficking Network to tackle and prevent exploitation in the City. In 2015 the Mesa Police Department […]
Raise Your Grade! Massachusetts Put to the Test
In 2011, the state of Massachusetts received an “F” in Shared Hope International’s Protected Innocence Challenge report. It received a final score of 45, with especially low scores regarding the criminalization of domestic minor sex trafficking and protective provisions for child victims. Just a year later, Massachusetts has been named the Most Improved State, raising […]
The Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act Advances in the Senate Thanks to the Violence Against Woman Act
On February 12, 2013, the Violence Again Women Act (VAWA) passed in the Senate with critical amendments made by Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy’s (D-VT) to secure the reauthorization of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) as part of VAWA and by Senators Rob Portman (R-Ohio) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) to authorize grants to enhance […]
8th Circuit Court Decision Nabs Buyers
In the fight against sex trafficking, one of the things we focus on at Shared Hope is the importance of ending demand. While it’s absolutely true that victim services, rescue and restoration, and prosecution of traffickers are vitally important, it’s equally important that the buyers be held accountable. If there is no demand, there is […]
