November 6, 2014 by SHI Staff

Unlikely Duo Spurs Colorado to Strengthen Trafficking Laws

WASHINGTON, D.C., Child sex trafficking affects an estimated 100,000 American children each year in the U.S. This staggering statistic may be one of the few that could cause political adversaries to become issue allies. Jim Daly, president of Focus on the Family, an evangelical Christian ministry, was inspired by an interview with Shared Hope International on the issue of sex trafficking and decided to team up with Ted Trimpa, president of Trimpa Group LLC, a Democratic political consulting and government relations firm specializing in progressive policy advocacy, to advocate for stronger human trafficking laws.

The pair was able to successfully advocate for the passage of House Bill 1273, which makes it easier to prosecute offenders, strengthens penalties for human trafficking convictions and creates a council within the Department of Public Safety to address the problem. This new law resulted in a significant score increase for Colorado on an annual report by Shared Hope International that grades each state on the sufficiency of its laws that relate to sex trafficking. In 2014, Colorado raised its grade from a “D” to “B” and is one of only three states in the nation to improve its score so significantly to raise two grade levels. Colorado earned 13 points for improvements in all six areas of evaluation, including criminalization of domestic minor sex trafficking, criminal provisions for traffickers, buyers and facilitators, protective provisions for child victims, and criminal justice tools for investigation and prosecution. Watch the release of the state grades.

“Americans may hold different ideas on many issues, but sex trafficking is an issue that crosses party lines, religious affiliations and gender divides,” President and Founder of Shared Hope International Linda Smith said. “No one wants to see a predator get away with stealing the innocence of our kids.

Shared Hope International launched the Protected Innocence Challenge in 2011 to advocate for stronger state laws to activate the nearly 30,000 state prosecutors across the nation. Previously, many states relied on federal statutes to address the crime; yet, many trafficking crimes were not accepted for federal prosecution, forcing states to handle the cases locally and relying on weak or insufficient laws. Over half the nation earned failing scores on the inaugural 2011 report card. Since then, 42 states have raised their grade and today only 4 states are earning failing grades.

November 3, 2014 by SHI Staff

2014 State Grades on Child Sex Trafficking Laws Exposes Growing Gap Between States

Media Contacts: Taryn Offenbacher, 602.818.3955, Taryn@sharedhope.org

MEDIA ALERT

2014 State Grades on Child Sex Trafficking Laws Exposes Growing Gap Between States

October 29, 2014 (Washington D.C.) On November 6, in Washington, D.C., Shared Hope International will release the 4th Annual Protected Innocence Challenge—the most comprehensive study on state child sex trafficking laws. The findings will reveal which states are providing strong legal protection against trafficking and which states are falling behind their neighbors. This year, eight states have raised the grade but four states continue to receive failing scores.

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Protected Innocence Challenge Press Conference

When:
11:30 – 12:00 pm Thursday, November 6, 2014

Where:
U.S. Capitol Visitor Center | HVC-201 First St SE Washington, D.C. 20515

Watch the free livestream of the conference at www.sharedhope.org/pressconference Speakers:

Congresswoman Linda Smith, President and Founder, Shared Hope International
Jen Spry, RN, Sex Trafficking Survivor
Margie Quin, Assistant Special Agent in Charge, Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Savannah Sanders, Author and Training Coordinator, O’Connor House Safe Action Project, Sex Trafficking Survivor
Delegate Timothy D. Hugo, Fairfax (VA-40)

MEDIA CONTACT: Taryn Offenbacher | Communications Director 703.351.8062 office / 602.818.3955 cell Taryn@sharedhope.org MEDIA MATERIALS For media convenience, a variety of video clips and resources, including survivor comments, are available at this location: http://vimeo.com/user12564384/albums. Clips are password protected, please contact Taryn Offenbacher at Taryn@sharedhope.org for access.

ABOUT SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Shared Hope International was established in 1998, by former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith, to prevent, restore, and bring justice to women and children in crisis. We provide leadership in awareness, training, prevention strategies, restorative care, research, and policy initiatives. For more information about Shared Hope International, go to www.sharedhope.org

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October 21, 2014 by SHI Staff

Celebrating 16 Years of Hope – and a Visit to Pike Place Market!

We have had such an amazing time celebrating our 16^th year of restoration here at Shared Hope International. We have also truly enjoyed hosting the Night of Hope events this month, which you can view photos from on our Facebook page.

In addition to the 6 Night of Hope events this month, our beautiful guests from Nepal (Savita, Pooja, Ajay and Manisha) have also truly enjoyed themselves here on their first visit to the United States. We have had the privilege of seeing them grow up in a loving and nurturing environment, free from the tumult and pain of trafficking in the early part of their lives. Now, they have grown to be healthy, happy and productive young people able to share authentic messages of hope with others around the world.

We at Shared Hope International are so grateful for what God has given all of us and we hope to mark this occasion with an even larger push for freedom for the many other millions of women and children still caught in a web of fear and exploitation by traffickers. Please join us in viewing these photos of joy and gladness and remember the things you are grateful for as, together, we celebrate 16 years of life-saving work that continues to this day.

Below you will find beautiful photos of our guests from Nepal and their recent visit to the famous Pike Place Market in Seattle. Enjoy!

Pike Place Market | Seattle, WA - Photo Credit Tom Fideler

October 17, 2014 by SHI Staff

Congressman Frank Wolf Receives Shared Hope’s Lifetime Pathbreaker Award for Anti-Trafficking Efforts

Shared Hope International will honor Congressman Wolf for lifetime dedication to eradicating trafficking

ARLINGTON, VA. – Congressman Frank Wolf (VA-10) has been named a 2014 Lifetime Pathbreaker Award recipient for his continuous leadership in combatting child sex trafficking.

Congressman Wolf is one of the House of Representatives’ leading crusaders for human rights. He believes members of Congress have an obligation to speak out for those who are persecuted around the world—a belief that led him to some of the most remote and desperate nations to witness and address grave human rights violations. His global perspective on human trafficking spurred national action on the issue. Congressman Wolf actively implored the Obama Administration to increase its efforts to combat child sex trafficking facilitated through online classified sites like Backpage.com. As chairman of the Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee, Rep. Wolf used his position and passion to strengthen anti-trafficking laws in the U.S. In 2014, Rep. Wolf championed a FY 2015 Commerce-Justice-Science Appropriations Subcommittee bill that included $429.5 million for Violence Against Women Prevention and Prosecution programs. Rep. Wolf has historically supported increases for Victims of Trafficking grants to develop stronger programs for victims.

In 2000, Rep. Wolf recognized the need to energize the global conversation about the issue of trafficking and share innovative approaches to combat the problem. At the recommendation of Rep. Wolf, the U.S. Department of State engaged Shared Hope International to hold Pathbreaking Strategies conferences in six countries to facilitate this discussion and generate solutions. The conferences led to significant change in the national responses to human trafficking in countries that were lagging behind the global response. During this process, the Pathbreaker Award was established to recognize the pioneering efforts of individuals around the world who broke the trend of inaction and initiated proactive responses to prevent trafficking. See all Pathbreaker Award recipients.

“Congressman Wolf’s resolve to combat sex trafficking will make a lasting impact globally, nationally, and locally in his home state of Virginia,” Shared Hope International President and Founder Linda Smith said. “He served as the inspiration for the Pathbreaking Strategies Conferences in 2000. How fitting that nearly 15 years later, Shared Hope International has the opportunity to honor him with the award that was truly inspired by his leadership and dedication to the issue.”

The 2014 Pathbreaker Award recipients also include Brendan Johnson, United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota and Marian Hatcher, Project Manager for the Sheriff’s Women’s Justice Programs at the Cook County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. Attorney Johnson and Ms. Hatcher will accept the award on November 7 during Shared Hope International’s JuST Conference in Washington, D.C.

MEDIA MATERIALS

For media convenience, a variety of video clips and resources, including survivor comments, are available at this location: vimeo.com/sharedhope/albums. Clips are password protected, please contact Taryn Offenbacher at Taryn@sharedhope.org for access.

ABOUT SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Shared Hope International was established in 1998, by former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith, to prevent, restore, and bring justice to women and children in crisis. We provide leadership in awareness, training, prevention strategies, restorative care, research, and policy initiatives. For more information about Shared Hope International, go to www.sharedhope.org.

For more information contact Taryn Offenbacher at (602) 818-3955 or taryn@sharedhope.org.

October 17, 2014 by SHI Staff

Marian Hatcher Receives Shared Hope Pathbreaker Award for Anti-Trafficking Leadership

Shared Hope International honors Marian Hatcher for dedication to fighting demand for sex trafficking

ARLINGTON, VA. – Marian Hatcher, Project Manager at the Sheriff’s Women’s Justice Programs for the Cook County Sheriff’s Office, has been named a 2014 Pathbreaker Award recipient for her determined leadership in pursuing the buyers of sex trafficking.

Marian Hatcher escaped from the world of commercial sex. At 38 years old, Hatcher was well established— holding a Finance degree from Loyola University, advancing in the corporate world, and living in a good neighborhood in Chicago with her five children. However, she entered a relationship with a man who abused and threatened Hatcher and her family. Depression caused Hatcher to turn to drugs, resulting in prostitution to support the habit. She served four months in jail, enrolled in the Cook County Sheriff’s Women’s Justice Programs, before her release and subsequent employment by the same program.

Today, Hatcher has been with the Cook County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) for 10 years. She is the Human Trafficking Coordinator and member of the Human Trafficking Response Team. She coordinates several of CCSO’s anti-trafficking efforts such as the “National Day of Johns Arrests,” a nationwide effort with more than 59 participating federal, state and local law enforcement agencies targeting buyers of sex as the driving force of sex trafficking. As a national expert on combating the demand for commercial sex, she has testified before the Illinois and Colorado legislatures, has been featured in the OWN documentary “Prostitution: Leaving the Life” which focused on her work as a survivor advocate and the Ink 180 Documentary. In July 2014, her article “Ten Years and Counting” was published in Police Chief Magazine as a companion article to a piece written by Cook County Sheriff, Thomas J. Dart, both focused on human trafficking.

“Marian Hatcher is a brave example of a survivor who overcame great strongholds to free herself and blaze a path of freedom for others,” Shared Hope International President and Founder Linda Smith said. “She has made significant contributions in the fight to hold buyers accountable for their crime and to eliminate tolerance for commercial sexual exploitation.”

In 2000, the U.S. Department of State engaged Shared Hope International to hold Pathbreaking Strategies Conferences in six countries to energize the global conversation about the issue of trafficking and share innovative approaches to combat the problem. The conferences led to significant change in the global landscape of national responses to trafficking in countries that were behind the global community and enabling an environment that was fostering trafficking with no developed response. During this process, the Pathbreaker Award was established to recognize the pioneering efforts of individuals throughout the world who broke the trend of inaction and initiated proactive responses to prevent trafficking. See all Pathbreaker Award recipients.

The 2014 Pathbreaker Award recipients also include Congressman Frank Wolf (VA-10) and Brendan Johnson, U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota. U.S. Attorney Johnson and Ms. Hatcher will accept the award on November 7 during Shared Hope International’s JuST Conference in Washington, D.C.

MEDIA MATERIALS

For media convenience, a variety of video clips and resources, including survivor comments, are available at this location: vimeo.com/sharedhope/albums. Clips are password protected, please contact Taryn Offenbacher at Taryn@sharedhope.org for access.

For more information contact Taryn Offenbacher at (602) 818-3955 or taryn@sharedhope.org.