Bring Justice - Shared Hope International

The Shared Hope Institute for Justice & Advocacy is a center for training, research and advocacy that gathers and concentrates the power of Shared Hope’s programs under one roof.

For over 20 years, Shared Hope has been at the forefront of groundbreaking research related to child and youth sex trafficking in the U.S. Our research and resulting resources support the development of vital policies and promising practices for identifying and providing appropriate responses to survivors.

Shared Hope’s multi-modal training focuses on equipping anti-trafficking stakeholders with the resources and knowledge necessary for identifying trafficking victimization and delivering a survivor-centered response. Our Team provides high quality, customized training to law enforcement, juvenile and criminal justice stakeholders, service providers, advocates, child welfare, and policymakers.

Shared Hope’s Policy Team provides technical assistance and advocacy support to Congressional and state legislators seeking research-based, survivor-centered, and field-informed policy solutions to address child and youth sex trafficking. The public is also encouraged to participate.

On November 18th, Shared Hope will release an advanced legislative framework for grading states on their progress in providing victim protections.

The announcement will reveal the rubric by which states will be graded beginning in the fall of 2021. Continuing the theme of State Action. National Change., Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking builds upon the framework of laws evaluated under the original Protected Innocence Challenge (2011-2019), preserving the most fundamental components while including new policy priorities that reflect feedback and research from the field. Specifically, the Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking will focus largely on victim protection laws, including specialized service responses and access to justice issues.

Legislative Technical Support

As a state or national legislator or stakeholder, we invite you to consult with our policy team to craft strong laws to fight child sex trafficking. Request a consultation.

RESPONDING TO SEX TRAFFICKING VICTIM-OFFENDER INTERSECTIONALITY: A Guide for Criminal Justice Stakeholders"

Field guidance by Shared Hope International and the Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation at Villanova Law, and informed by Shared Hope’s JuST Response Council, which seeks to promote dialogue and more just responses to sex trafficking survivors who face a criminal justice response for alleged sex trafficking conduct.

A group of 30+ experts from around the country who collaborate to improve responses to juvenile sex trafficking victims, drawing on the group's combined research, knowledge and experience in services, law and policy.

The Anti-Trafficking Resource Network

The ATR Network is Shared Hope’s peer-to-peer communication listserv created for anti-trafficking professionals. This tool is designed to support cross-discipline connections from state to state and foster the sharing of anti-trafficking practices and strategies for NGOs, law enforcement, service providers and other professionals combatting trafficking in the United States.

How to Join

This listserv is for professionals in the anti-trafficking field and is by invite only. You may request an invitation to the Anti-Trafficking Resource Network here. The request must include your official work email address, your title and the organization/agency you represent.

Network Guidelines

FAQ

Are all my communications public?

Non-registered users can find the name of the listerv in a google group search, but all emails and communications written by group members to the listerv are only visible to fellow network members.

Will other members be able to see my email address?

Other members of this group can find your email address.

How soon will I be added after I make a request?

You will receive a confirmation of acceptance within two weeks, or a request from network hosts for additional information to clarify your eligibility.

Will my contact information be shared with anyone else besides the Network?

Shared Hope International will not add you to the organization’s database or share your contact details with anyone outside of the ATR Network.

Why do you require references if I’m not employed by an agency?

While we recognize and validate the contributions of every community member to the anti-trafficking field, the network is designed to support the needs of professionals who work full-time in this field, or who operate in a consultation capacity. References provide the assistance we need to substantiate your request when you are attempting to join from a personal email account.

What sort of professionals are registered on the Network?

We have invited hundreds to participate from disciplines such as law enforcement, legal and court services, probation and parole, child welfare, juvenile justice, victim services, healthcare, training, consultation, public education, NGOs, and mental health.

If there are hundreds of members, how many notifications am I going to receive every day?

We doubt you’ll receive an abundance of posts every week. That said, your choice of settings is entirely up to you. Members can customize their settings to receive immediate notifications, daily summaries, bundled responses, or no notifications at all.

Apply Here

Name*
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Agency/Organization*
Title/Occupation*
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References
If you are self-employed or otherwise consulting in the anti-trafficking field, you must reference two individuals or agencies who can support your request to join the Network. One of the references should already be active in the ATR Network at the time of your request. Please list your references below.
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This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Juvenile Sex Trafficking Conference

This unforgettable and inspiring conference features today’s most pressing issues in the anti-trafficking field. Presentations and workshops focus on skill-building, survivor experiences, cross-discipline collaboration, task force development, case studies and lessons learned. Join experts and professionals from across the nation to learn practical ways you, and your agency, can create sustainable changes and leverage your resources to tackle sex trafficking from all angles.

Announcing Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking; grades based on an advanced legislative framework. Coming Nov 18, 2020

Many of you have met Brianna… She was just 18 years old, a straight A student with dreams of becoming a nurse, when a trafficker made his move and began to groom her in preparation to sell her into the underworld of commercial sexual exploitation. Through the intervention of a high school friend and his […]

When Difficult News is the Most Important News

Sometimes the most important news is the most difficult to hear. On the same day that Shared Hope International celebrated the release of our 9th annual Protected Innocence Challenge report cards, we heard that the Kansas Prisoner Review Board had decided not to recommend Hope Zeferjohn, a child sex trafficking victim, for a pardon. After […]

What 6,890 advocates can do

We are celebrating! Legislative sessions are wrapping up in states around the country and we have great news. Many of the bills you advocated for have passed: Utah HB 20 comprehensively strengthens the state’s response to child sex trafficking. Utah HB 108 strengthens the state’s existing non-criminalization laws to ensure that youth engaged in commercial sex […]

See all Policy blog posts.

DEMANDing Justice

The Demanding Justice Project is a research and advocacy initiative designed to promote demand deterrence through increased attention and advocacy on demand enforcement. The research report documents the outcomes of federal and state arrests, charges and prosecutions of buyers of sex acts with children.

Ending Online Facilitation

Child sex trafficking in the US is increasingly moving onto the internet. Online classifieds are now a primary venue for traffickers to sell sex with minors and for buyers to purchase sex with these children. This is domestic minor sex trafficking.

Stop the InJuSTice

Punishing commercially sexually exploited minors creates social and legal contradictions that undermine the fight against juvenile sex trafficking— further harming victims and hindering a needed shift in cultural attitudes. This campaign is committed to developing protective responses and more in every state.

PATHBREAKER AWARD

The Pathbreaker Award was established in 2010 to recognize the pioneering efforts of individuals throughout the world who broke the trend of inaction and initiated proactive responses to prevent trafficking.