2024 State Legislative Update The Shared Hope policy team has been working tirelessly this year, tracking 3,558 bills and providing technical assistance in 22 states to combat child and youth sex trafficking. Legislative measures at the state level are crucial in protecting vulnerable youth and prosecuting perpetrators. As state legislatures wrap up their sessions, staying […]
Children in sex trafficking still unprotected by laws in most states, Shared Hope’s Report Cards on Child and Youth Sex Trafficking show
Nonprofit’s annual evaluation of all 50 states and Washington, D.C., shows progress in certain states’ legal protections and supports for victims, gives 32 states failing grades for laws addressing child and youth sex trafficking WASHINGTON, NOVEMBER 15, 2023—Tennessee is the highest-performing state for laws to protect children and youth from sex trafficking and the first […]
Unjust Criminalization: Zephi Trevino’s Story
Zephaniah “Zephi” Trevino has pleaded guilty and has been sentenced to 12 years for murder and five years for aggravated robbery. The Dallas County District Attorney alleged Zephi —along with two men— had taken part in a robbery that left one man dead from a gunshot wound and another injured. Although Zephi was not responsible […]
Safe Harbor – What’s in a Name?
“My story can change things.” – Pieper Lewis, September 13, 2022
In sentencing child sex trafficking survivor, Pieper Lewis, on September 13, 2022, Judge David Porter stated, “Ms. Lewis, this is the second chance you asked for. You don’t get a third. Do you understand?” The judge was alluding to his sentencing order that imposed a term of probation in lieu of immediate imprisonment, however the “second chance” […]