The 2022 Report Cards on Child and Youth Sex Trafficking are now available! Are you curious about your state's rating and how it fared in advancing important victim protections? Now is the time to read your state's report card!
What was your state's score?
Every year, these Report Cards on Child & Youth Sex Trafficking are being published to update anti-trafficking stakeholders, state legislators, and activists on each state’s status related to legislative efforts addressing child and youth sex trafficking.
Overall, there was an increase in states' willingness to address difficult issues related to child and youth sex trafficking, such as enacting legislation that protects child sex trafficking victims from prosecution for prostitution offenses, as well as advancing victim-witness protections and ensuring survivor access to justice. States are prepared to make changes on behalf of survivors of human trafficking.
Several states made significant progress toward comprehensively responding to and preventing child and youth exploitation by passing laws that, among other things, appropriate millions of dollars to fund services, protect child survivors from unjust criminalization, and assist stakeholders in providing appropriate and impactful responses to young people who have experienced trafficking.
However, future development is vital and important to secure the protection of all children and youth. There are still many challenges across the country that leave children vulnerable to trafficking or further harm for example, nearly half of the country still criminalizes children for their own victimization, and the vast majority of states fail to provide funded, holistic services to survivors. Until we emphasize investment in communities, particularly community-based services, and reject punitive responses to victims, children will fall through the cracks and continue to endure harm.
Now that state grades have been released, we need your help getting them into the hands of legislators and encouraging them to support legislation that addresses survivors' needs holistically, holds offenders accountable, and helps prevent exploitation from happening to other vulnerable children and youth.
Send your legislators the Report Cards!
By taking action and giving state legislators their state's report card, you are arming them with the tools they need to combat this injustice. Additionally, you may continue to push for legislation that will directly affect your state's grade throughout the year by visiting our Advocacy Action Center and viewing our state advocacy campaigns. As states introduce prevention and protection legislation, Global Hope 365 is supporting new initiatives and campaigns in which you can engage and help us educate local and national communities.
Thank you for your ongoing support in our efforts to end child marriage and human trafficking..
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