Shared Hope leads awareness and training, prevention strategies, restorative care, research, and policy initiatives to mobilize a national network of protection for victims.
Shared Hope focused its attention on eleven American locations, including cities in Florida, Texas, Louisiana, and New York,[5] examining the access to and delivery of services for child sex trafficking victims.
With a grant from the U.S. Department of State, Shared Hope spent three years facilitating meetings between government, law enforcement, and the private sector in six countries to encourage protection, prosecution and prevention.
SHI hosts an annual JuST (Juvenile Sex Trafficking) Conference in Washington, D.C., which gathers over 500 professionals and advocates for two days of advanced training on the issue.
[11] Shared Hope has organized "Kids are not for Sale" awareness campaigns in Oregon, Las Vegas, Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Virginia to engage community members in anti-trafficking events and initiatives.
Chosen[13] youth sex trafficking prevention resources have been distributed and screened at schools, churches, philanthropic and humanitarian clubs and organizations, among others.
In June 2006, Shared Hope International founded The Defenders USA, a coalition of men that are opposed to all forms of commercialized sex.
[18] In February 2003, WATA co-sponsored its first World Summit with the U.S. Department of State which brought together leaders from 114 nations, all demonstrating a sustained commitment to prosecute trafficking and provide assistance to victims.
[20] Since 2006 Shared Hope International has partnered with Anti-Trafficking Task Forces in ten U.S. cities with funding from the U.S. Department of Justice to identify and provide services to American victims of DMST.
Shared Hope also collaborates with Brunner, Sex + Money, ECPAT, The Protection Project, Oprah Winfrey Network, Shield Genie, and TRUST Arizona.
To inform these partnerships and offer strategic insight on promising practices, Shared Hope convenes key stakeholders, thought leaders and experienced practitioners to drive forward the discussion about shelter and services in America.
This comprehensive legal analysis provides an annual Report Card on the sufficiency of state child sex trafficking laws and recommendations for improvement.
Shared Hope operates a Legislative Action Center [2] to encourage individuals to advocate for improvements in public justice systems by contacting policy leaders and media outlets about sex trafficking laws in their state.
3610; 113th Congress), a bill that would require each state, within three years, to have in effect legislation that: (1) treats a minor who has engaged or attempted to engage in a commercial sex act as a victim of a severe form of trafficking in persons, (2) discourages the charging or prosecution of such an individual for a prostitution or sex trafficking offense, and (3) encourages the diversion of such individual to child protection services.