In October, we introduced our Just Like Me (JLM) Report Card—a survivor-informed initiative calling for the statutory reforms essential to preventing and responding to unjust criminalization. The JLM Report Card shines a light on where states stand in adopting 10 core policy goals, serving as an accessible advocacy tool for communities demanding change.

But we know that preventing and responding to trafficking requires a broader vision. Too often, children are left vulnerable because states fail to invest in prevention, community-based services, and non-punitive responses. Without comprehensive action, young people will continue to fall through the cracks and experience lasting harm.

That’s why we created the JLM Policymaker’s Guide—a detailed legal analysis and roadmap for reform. The guide expands beyond the 10 goals of the Report Card to address a full policy framework, including survivor identification, training and screening, and the systems-level changes needed to build a just and protective response.

This resource is designed to equip lawmakers with the tools to act. We are urging advocates and allies to share the Policymaker’s Guide with their legislators and call on them to champion reforms that protect children, hold offenders accountable, and invest in the services survivors need to heal.

Together, we can move beyond short-term fixes and advance comprehensive solutions that end the unjust criminalization of child sex trafficking victims.