Protected Innocence Challenge Archives - Shared Hope International

December 13, 2012 by SHI Staff

Sharing the Hope 2012

Sharing the Hope 2012, Shared Hope’s biggest event of the year, welcomed hundreds of guests from 30 states around the country for three dynamic days of education, discussion and celebration in Washington, D.C.

On November 29, Shared Hope released the 2012 Protected Innocence Challenge Report Cards at the Protected Innocence Challenge Press Conference. These Report Cards document Shared Hope’s evaluation of all fifty states’ legislation regarding domestic minor sex trafficking. We were proud to announce 15 states raised their grade! Attendees and news outlets heard from Linda Smith, survivor advocate Shamere McKenzie, survivor advocate Brianna Myers, Detective Bill Woolf (Fairfax County (VA) Gang Investigations Unit), Abigail Kuzma (Indiana Office of Attorney General) and Congressman Ted Poe (R-TX) on the importance of strong state laws to bring justice to survivors.

We welcomed 250 participants at the intensive Do You Know Lacy? training to help professionals and community members identify victims of trafficking and respond effectively. Participants learned from over 20 experts and practitioners from around the nation on how pimps maintain control over victims, the strengths and weaknesses in state laws, and the growing trend of gang trafficking. This Do You Know Lacy? Sex Trafficking Awareness and Response Training presented a collaborative and community-based curriculum to inform various types of responders. Law enforcement, prosecutors, juvenile service providers, community advocates and defenders all learned specific ways to address the issue within their professions.

On Friday, November 30, experts from around the country joined Shared Hope International, The Protection Project from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies, and ECPAT-USA to evaluate current service provider responses to domestically trafficked youth and propose promising practices for future responders. Practitioners working with formerly trafficked youth came from across the country and discussed placement options for victims, challenges facing current service providers, and what successful treatment programs for victims look like. Over 500 people from across the globe tuned in to witness this landmark discussion. Watch it here!

Friday night concluded the busy day with a celebration of Shared Hope’s accomplishments over the years. This Sharing the Hope Gala included a welcome address by Linda Smith, prayer by Sean Wrench, and keynote address by Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children. A live jazz band entertained guests during the social hour. Guests joined Shared Hope in honoring the 2012 Pathbreaker’s during the award ceremony. Linda Smith presented awards to Ernie Allen, Amy O’Neill Richard, Senior Advisor to the Director at the Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, Drew Oosterbaan, Chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section of the U.S. Department of Justice, and Deborah Richardson, Executive Vice President of the Center for Civil and Human Rights. Survivor advocate Rebecca Bender read a moving survivor-written tribute to the Pathbreakers, and survivor advocates Stacy Lewis and Shamere McKenzie presented a dramatic reenactment of a fictional domestic minor sex trafficking victim’s interaction with the justice system. The drama highlighted the lack of concern and resources for these victims that currently hinder identification and care for these youth all around the country.

Sharing the Hope 2012 was an exciting and successful event that enabled community members from around the country to engage in collaborative networking, honest discussion, intensive training, and much deserved celebration for the prevention and end of domestic minor sex trafficking. With the release of the 2012 Protected Innocence Challenge Report Cards, community members can inform themselves, their communities, and their state legislators about the issue to help advocate for stronger state laws.

We hope to see you next year at Sharing the Hope 2013!

November 29, 2012 by SHI Staff

National Study Reveals Top Seven States that Protect Against Child Trafficking

A National Call To Action Spurs 44 States to Strengthen Child Trafficking Laws

Press Release: Protected Innocence Challenge Grade Announcement 11 29 12

Arlington, VA—Sweeping national legislative advancements proved successful for Louisiana, Florida and Georgia who will join the ranks of Illinois, Missouri, Texas and Washington in leading the nation with laws that provide protection and justice to child victims of domestic minor sex trafficking, according to research released Nov. 29, 2012 by Shared Hope International.

Recent findings from the 2012 Protected Innocence Challenge Report, the first comprehensive study on state child sex trafficking laws, show 15 states have raised their grades by enacting legislation that strengthened laws that impact or relate to domestic minor sex trafficking. In addition to the seven leading states listed above that scored a “B” on the 2012 report, nine states earned a “C,” compared to only six in 2011. In 2012, 35 states received grades of “D” or lower, including 18 failing grades— a significant improvement from the 2011 scores with 41 states receiving a grade of “D” or lower and 26 failing states.

The release of the Protected Innocence Challenge report is being hosted in conjuncture with Sharing the Hope 2012, a three-day event that includes training, the National Colloquium, a forum of national experts on the issue of shelter and service provision for child victims of trafficking, and the Sharing the Hope Gala and Pathbreaker Award Ceremony honoring Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children; Drew Oosterbaan, Chief, Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the U.S. Department of Justice; Amy O’Neill Richard, Senior Advisor to the Director in the State Department’s Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons; and Deborah Richardson, Executive Vice President of the National Center for Civil and Human Rights.

“In 2011, Shared Hope International challenged each state to review the laws on its books and the impact they are having on local children.” Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared Hope International said. “Advocates around the nation united, forming coalitions, legislative review committees, and petitions to strengthen their states laws. Citizens showed they want stronger laws on the books and their efforts proved successful.”

“For me the Protected Innocence Challenge signifies liberation from a life of slavery with the opportunity for the oppressed to pursue the American dream of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” Shamere McKenzie, Program Assistant, Shared Hope International and Survivor Advocate said.

Every year in the United States, experts estimate at least 100,000 children are exploited in the U.S. commercial sex industry. The average age a child is first exploited through prostitution is 13 years old.

RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

1. 15 states improved their grades from 2011

2 states went up two grades: AK and MA went from F to C
13 states went up one grade
3 new “B” states: LA, FL, GA
6 new “C” states: AK, IN, MA, OH, OK, WI
6 new “D” states: CO, MD, NE, NV, SC, UT

2. 7 states improved their Protected Innocence Challenge scores by 10+ points

MA went up 29.5 pts
WV went up 21 pts
LA went up 17 pts
SC went up 17 pts
AK went up 14.5 pts
OH went up 12 pts
WI went up 10 pts

3. States were scored based on six categories of law. Scores by area of law – states have achieved perfect scores in sections 1 and 6, with “near perfect” scores in the other areas of law:

Section 1 (Criminalization of Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking): IL and TX have perfect scores (10 points possible)
Section 2 (Criminal Provisions Addressing Demand): LA now has a “near perfect” score with 24.5 points (25 points possible)
Section 3 (Criminal Provisions for Traffickers): MS, KY, FL and AL have a “near perfect” score with 14.5 points (15 points possible)
Section 4 (Criminal Provisions for Facilitators): LA and WA have a “near perfect” score with 9.5 points (10 points possible)
Section 5 (Protected Provisions for Child Victims): IL is the closest to a “near perfect” score with 24.5 points (27.5 points possible)
Section 6 (Criminal Justice Tools for Investigation and Prosecution): AL, MN, OH and TX have perfect scores (15 points possible)

4. Most Improved = MA
5. Highest Score = LA
6. Worst score = WY

GRADES:

B (7) – FL, GA, IL, LA, MO, TX, WA
C (9) – AK, AZ, IN, MA, MN, OH, OK, TN, WI
D (17) – AL, CO, DE, IA, KY, MD, MS, NE, NJ, NV, NY, NC, OR, RI, SC, UT, VT
F (18) – AR, CA, CT, DC, HI, ID, KS, ME, MI, MT, NH, NM, ND, PA, SD, VA, WV, WY

2012 Legislative Progress:

One year after the release of the 2011 Protected Innocence Challenge:*

240 state and 38 federal bills were introduced that relate to domestic minor sex trafficking.
78 laws were passed that relate to domestic minor sex trafficking.
40 states had legislation introduced that relates to the Protected Innocence Framework.
33 states enacted legislation related to the Protected Innocence Framework.

*Statistics are based on Congressional Quarterly State Track accounting for legislation introduced or passed between August 1, 2011 and August 1, 2012.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Taryn Mastrean

Communications Director

703.351.8062 office / 602.818.3955 cell

Taryn@sharedhope.org

ABOUT THE PROTECTED INNOCENCE LEGISLATIVE FRAMEWORK: The Protected Innocence Legislative Framework is the legal analysis tool of the Protected Innocence Challenge, a comprehensive strategy to promote zero tolerance for child sex trafficking. Shared Hope International conducted a 41-component comprehensive analysis of each state’s existing laws as a basis for the Report Card. The Protected Innocence Legislative Framework solely evaluates a state’s existing laws and does not evaluate enforcement or implementation.

The methodology was vetted by experts in the anti-trafficking field including Ambassador Mark Lagon (U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons 2007-2009) and directors from the following organizations: the National District Attorneys Association; American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law; the Protection Project at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies; ECPAT-USA; Children at Risk, Houston, Texas; and A Future. Not a Past., Atlanta, Georgia

MEDIA MATERIALS

For media convenience, a variety of video clips and resources, including sex trafficking survivor comments, are available upon request.

ABOUT SHARED HOPE INTERNATIONAL: Shared Hope International was founded in 1998, by former U.S. Congresswoman Linda Smith, and exists to rescue and restore women and children in crisis. We are leaders in a worldwide effort to prevent and eradicate sex trafficking and slavery using a three-pronged strategy: prevent, rescue & restore, and bring justice. For more information about Shared Hope International, and the Protected Innocence Challenge, go to www.sharedhope.org.

March 6, 2012 by SHI Staff

Maelie could tell you how it happens…

She wasn’t grabbed and thrown in the trunk of his car. She hadn’t run away from home in search of thrills on the street. No, she was lured away…charmed away…friended away. For him, it was easy enough, with a bit of patience–a promise of something she needed, or something she wanted bad enough to take a chance. Her body, young as it was, would bring in lots of cash; she was worth the time it took to recruit her. For her anguished parents, distraught and desperate to locate that “normal” child who disappeared into a dark relationship, the nightmare had begun.

You see, there is an insatiable market for sex with children and there is a lot of money to be made off eager buyers–it’s a matter of supply and demand.

But it’s also a matter of evil. This evil is thick and rank along the crowded brothel allies; it smirks as it describes the ‘high’ of taking away a child’s innocence; it slashes her with a box cutter when she refuses; it tells her what happened to her was all her fault; it reminds her that she is nothing but trash. The sheer weight of such evil is stunning and threatens to immobilize us…but for the stories of those that have overcome, like Maelie and the family that loved her and brought her home again!

Together we must act to protect our children and take back those who have been lost. Please go online today and download your state’s Protected Innocence Challenge Report Card, then share it with your state legislators. You have a powerful voice for change. Use it!

February 16, 2012 by SHI Staff

Two States Take the Protected Innocence Challenge Head On

Last year, Shared Hope issued failing grades to over half the states for their legal provisions to protect America’s innocent against domestic minor sex trafficking. We challenged each state to raise their grade. They heard us! Taking this challenge head on, more than 30 states have introduced a total of 90 bills (and counting!) that will help combat human trafficking in their states. Kentucky and Louisiana have taken a notable lead in the movement to end human trafficking by introducing a package of Protected Innocence bills.

In Kentucky, 22 legislators are sponsoring HB 350 which will address more than 10 key components of the Protected Innocence legislative framework. If passed, this bill will expand provisions pertaining to asset forfeiture, will require human trafficking training for law enforcement, create a human trafficking fund, improve the definition of human trafficking to accurately identify victims, increase victim protections, establish a dedicated department within the police department for human trafficking investigations, and more. Kentucky received a “D” on the 2011 Protected Innocence Report Card—we commend the leaders championing this cause to raise the grade in Kentucky.

Louisiana continues taking aggressive action to combat child sex trafficking in the state. House Bill 49 addresses more than half of the legal components outlined in the Protected Innocence legislative framework. HB 49 contains 20 distinct provisions that would tighten the legal framework in this “C” state, including: increasing penalties for human trafficking, providing an affirmative defense, authorizing wiretaps, training law enforcement, providing victim restitution, requiring reporting of rescued children, allowing expungement of juvenile records, extending statutes of limitation, permitting policy decoys in investigation operations, preventing a consent defense, raising the penalty for buying sex with a minor to a $50,000 fine and 15–50 years in jail, establishing DMST victim eligibility for the crime victim’s compensation fund, removing prostitution from the definition of delinquent acts, and much, much more. If passed, Louisiana could emerge as one of the most dangerous places for those who buy and sell children for sex and raise the state’s grade even higher in the 2012 Protected Innocence Challenge.

We’re thrilled to see Shared Hope’s advocacy tools impacting change in states around the nation. Has your state taken the Protected Innocence Challenge?

March 3, 2011 by Guest

Everythang’s Bigger’n Texas, Except Their Grade!

This week, Shared Hope International traveled to the Lone Star State to release the third of 51 Protected Innocence Report Cards. In partnership with Children at Risk, Shared Hope International presented the Texas Report Card to trafficking survivors, former pimps, former NFL players, and congressional members in Dallas on Saturday at a community rally sponsored by Traffick 911. In addition, Shared Hope presented the Texas Protected Innocence Report Card at events in San Antonio, Houston and Austin alongside fellow advocates for change including Senator Leticia Van de Putt, Rep. Senfronia Thompson, Attorney General Greg Abbott, Chris Burchell (Texas Anti-Trafficking In Persons) and many others.

Texas scored a “C,” indicating that Texas state law contains some provisions against domestic minor sex trafficking, but leaves generous room for improvement. One of the key findings of the Report Card was that current state law requires proof of force to prove the crime of trafficking-even for children. This is a direct contradiction to the federal Trafficking Victim’s Protection Act, which recognizes any child exploited through commercial sex as a victim of trafficking.

While there is a sizable legislative gap in Texas that threatens to entrap domestic minor sex trafficking victims, Shared Hope International offers solutions. One of the key recommendations is that Texas enact a stand alone sex trafficking of a child statute, which eliminates the requirement to prove force, includes the crime of buying sex with a minor, and ensures identification of a minor victim as a trafficking victim.

Shared Hope International offers this, and many other recommendations, in a complete Analysis and Recommendation document to expose legislative gaps and provide legislators with the tools they need to ensure the protection of victims and the punishment of criminals.

Legislative changes are necessary to help combat the exploitation of Texas’ children. According to a 2009 report by the Texas Human Trafficking Prevention Task Force, “11,942 juveniles were arrested for running away in Texas. An additional 66 were arrested for prostitution and commercialized vice.” Recently, Traffick911 pushed its “I’m not buying it”campaign to help raise awareness about child sex trafficking surrounding Super Bowl XLV. Arlington police made an astounding 59 prostitution related arrests leading up to the game.

Due to the prevalence of human trafficking in Texas, lawmakers have introduced several new bills aimed at increasing penalties for traffickers and providing protection for minors: HB1121,1122, and SB 98 are just a few. This push toward change is mirrored by Attorney General Greg Abbott, who gave a keynote address in San Antonio calling for more collaboration between law enforcement officials to “ensure [Texas] is both hostile territory for human traffickers and a safe haven for their victims.”

All of these efforts are a step in the right direction toward combating domestic minor sex trafficking. Now it’s up to you. If you live in Texas, alert your representative to this critical issue and make your voice count!