Protected Innocence Initiative
State Action. National Change.
The Protected Innocence Initiative is a comprehensive strategy to promote zero tolerance for child sex trafficking. Under this initiative, Shared Hope International will release fifty-one individual Report Cards based on the Protected Innocence Legislative Framework, an analysis of state laws performed by the American Center for Law & Justice and Shared Hope International. The Report Cards set a national standard of protection against domestic minor sex trafficking. Recognizing that responses to domestic minor sex trafficking must originate at the state level, the Protected Innocence Initiative provides a blueprint for policy makers to establish the foundational policies needed in each state to create a safe environment for children.
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 Person 2007-09) and directors from the following organizations: the National District Attorneys Association; American Bar Association (ABA) Center on Children and the Law; ECPAT-USA; the Protection Project at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (Washington, D.C.); Children at Risk (Houston, Texas); and A Future. Not a Past. (Atlanta, Georgia).
Broken systems of response to victims must also be fixed to ensure that the commercially sexually exploited children are treated as victims and provided with remedies through the law to recapture their lives and futures. - The Protected Innocence Legislative Framework Methodology Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Defined Domestic minor sex trafficking as defined by the national Trafficking Victims Protection Act is the “recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision or obtaining of a person for the purpose of a commercial sex act,” where the person is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident under the age of 18 years. • There is no requirement to prove force, fraud or coercion was used to secure the victim’s compliance. • The average age a child is lured or forced into prostitution is 13 years old. • Commercial sex acts include the use of a child in prostitution, pornography, and/or sexual performance. • Experts estimate at least 100,000 American juveniles are victimized through prostitution in the U.S. each year.
Setting the Standard to Protect Children The Protected Innocence Legislative Framework outlines six areas of law critical to protecting children and responding to domestic minor sex trafficking. Each state’s existing laws will be measured against standards that create a safe environment for children. A formula which measures the level of protection afforded by state laws regarding sex trafficking of children will be applied to grade the state legislative framework; it does not evaluate enforcement or implementation. The Protected Innocence Legislative Framework categories include: 1. Criminalization of domestic minor sex trafficking 2. Criminal provisions for demand (buyers) 3. Criminal provisions for traffickers (pimps) 4. Criminal provisions for facilitators (hotels, transports, websites etc.) 5. Protective provisions for the child victims 6. Criminal justice tools for investigation and prosecutions National Release Our high impact national release will be in San Antonio, Texas in late November, coinciding with the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) meeting.
During these parallel events, Shared Hope will release our findings regarding child sex trafficking across the nation and recognize those state Attorney Generals who have made efforts to combat the issue. Strategic Collaboration Advocates in each state will be encouraged to use Shared Hope International’s policy recommendations to influence legislative change, collaborate with Shared Hope International to generate public awareness and oversee the ongoing advancement of the Protected Innocence Initiative. Shared Hope International will facilitate face-to-face and online training for first responders, law enforcement, and other essential personnel who deal directly with victims or perpetrators.
Trainings will center on prevention, prosecution and protection to combat domestic minor sex trafficking. About Shared Hope International Shared Hope International exists to rescue and restore women and children in crisis. For over a decade, we have been leaders in a worldwide effort to prevent and eradicate sex trafficking through education, public awareness and partnering with local groups to help women and children enslaved in the sex trade.
