HB 321 strengthens Louisiana’s response to human trafficking by ensuring that children who are commercially sexually exploited are treated as victims in need of services—not as offenders.Under current law, youth involved in prostitution-related offenses can still face...

Senate Bill 91 takes a crucial step toward justice for survivors of domestic abuse, human trafficking, and sexual assault by reforming Louisiana’s sentencing laws to recognize the profound impact trauma can have on behavior. What SB 91 Does:📌Creates a framework for...

HB 5306 would give Connecticut judges the authority to reduce sentences or grant relief when a person’s history of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, or human trafficking played a significant role in their criminal conduct. Why it matters:Recognizes trauma —...

SB 26-124 would transform sentencing and post-conviction relief for Colorado residents whose own experiences of violence played a significant role in their crimes. Key reforms include:Allowing survivors to present evidence of prior violence in self-defense claims...

SB26-097 gets it backwards.While framed as a safety measure, this bill would remove penalties for sex buyers and dismantle key tools used to combat commercial sexual exploitation. By repealing offenses like patronizing prostitution, SB26-097 risks expanding the very market...

House Bill 1546 /Senate Bill 2336 takes critical steps to ensure victims of human trafficking—especially children—are treated as victims, not criminals. The bill clarifies that minors cannot be held liable for nonviolent offenses that occur during their exploitation and...

SD HB 1200 makes a critical investment in the safety and well-being of South Dakotans impacted by violence and exploitation. The bill directs $8 million in general funds to the Department of Public Safety to provide grants to nonprofit organizations serving children who...

Wisconsin AB 895 confronts a painful reality: many people serving extreme sentences today were criminalized as children after experiencing abuse, neglect, or commercial sexual exploitation. As documented in Shared Hope International’s Just Like Me Report Card, trafficked...

Substitute House Bill 2526 strengthens Washington’s response to commercial sexual exploitation by refocusing accountability on demand, protecting people who are exploited, and directing fees toward survivor-centered services — not punishment.What SHB 2526 Does:🔹 Targets...

Senate Bill 1379 establishes a two-year pilot grant program administered by the Oklahoma Office of the Attorney General to support nonprofit organizations that provide direct services to adult survivors of sexual and labor trafficking. What the Bill Does:✔ Creates a...

Survivors of sex trafficking are too often arrested, prosecuted, and convicted for offenses they were forced to commit by their traffickers. These convictions can follow survivors for life — blocking access to housing, employment, education, and healing — long after the...

This legislation modernizes Washington State’s sentencing laws by recognizing the impact of human trafficking and other forms of gender-based violence on survivors who are criminalized as a result of their abuse. It allows courts to consider whether a person’s criminal...

Victims of human trafficking are often compelled to commit crimes under force or coercion. Instead of receiving protection, many are arrested, prosecuted, and left with criminal records that follow them long after the exploitation ends — blocking access to jobs, housing,...

Victims of human trafficking are often criminalized for actions they were forced to take by their traffickers. Even after escaping exploitation, survivors are left with arrest records, convictions, fines, and restitution obligations that create lasting barriers to safety,...

Survivors of human trafficking rely on Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding for emergency shelter, trauma counseling, legal advocacy, and long-term support. But steep declines in deposits to the Crime Victims Fund have led to devastating cuts, forcing many trafficking...

New York allows child victims of sex trafficking and abuse to be prosecuted and sentenced as adults—often for actions taken to survive exploitation or violence. Too many young people who were harmed first by traffickers and abusers are harmed again by the criminal legal...

Right now, New York law leaves some children behind.Due to outdated loopholes, fifteen- to seventeen-year-olds are not consistently protected from commercial sexual exploitation under state law. That means traffickers and buyers can exploit older minors with fewer...

The House passed the Trafficking Survivors Relief Act (S. 2255/ H.R. 4323)! Now, we must demand that the Senate supports the TSRA. This critical legislation aids trafficking survivors who are unjustly criminalized due to their victimization.Many victims of trafficking often...

By sending this letter, you’re urging your lawmakers to support the Stop CSAM Act—critical legislation that protects children from sexual abuse, exploitation, and trafficking, both online and offline. Traffickers often use explicit images of children to groom, threaten, and...

Urge your members of Congress to support the Kids Online Safety Act! Today, children are exceptionally vulnerable to sexual exploitation through online platforms. Exploiters understand how to connect with children via social media, video games, and other online...

Protect Trafficked Youth: Urge Congress to Reauthorize the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Reauthorization ActYoung survivors of sex trafficking deserve safety, support, and healing—not arrest and incarceration. But far too often, youth who have been exploited...

Youth experiencing homelessness across America are at a substantially heightened risk of falling victim to human trafficking due to their increased vulnerability. Urge your elected officials to cosponsor the Runaway and Homeless Youth and Trafficking Prevention Act to...

"More screening is needed. That's every single one of your kids, not just the girl that you picked up. It's also the boy who offended. It's also the ones that were mean to you. It's also the ones that cussed you out. It's also the ones that have been here 20 times. To every...

This year, we launched the Just Like Me (JLM) Report Cards—the latest evolution of our Report Cards Project. Built with survivor insight, the JLM Report Cards grade every state on 10 core policy goals needed to end the unjust criminalization of trafficked children. These...

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...