The 2022 Shared Hope International JuST Conference was held from Nov. 1 to 3 in Fort Worth, Texas, where Shared Hope discussed their 2022 assessment of human trafficking.
Each year, Shared Hope releases a set of report cards to all 50 states and D.C. reflecting their assessment of state statutes related to and impacting child and youth sex trafficking.
John Nehme of Allies Against Slavery, who attended this year’s event, said the 2022 results were eye-opening. The results concluded that 37 states have a failing grade; 13 others scored Cs or Ds; and only one state got a B.
Shared Hope began grading states in 2011 when the national average was an "F." With 10 years of legislative improvements and hard-earned advocacy, the national average improved to a "B." Shared Hope has updated the methodology for grading states and the new scores placed a greater emphasis on laws that protect victims and survivors.
“This year’s grades show that state legislatures have more work to do to increase services and prevention strategies,” Nehme said. “As a movement, we need to continuously improve, and the report cards are a clear call to action. But it is important to remember that the grades measure a state's laws, not necessarily what's happening on the ground.”
Texas was used as an example. The state got a “C” grade overall, and out of six grading categories, got an "F" in victim identification and response. Yet, Allies Against Slavery has helped Texas complete and analyze over 84,000 screenings of youth for sex trafficking. Over 130 organizations and 1,500 field professionals in the state now identify victims with Lighthouse, an innovative software solution that helps people and organizations understand trends in human trafficking.
“The report cards remind us we need better data to close the gap between policy and practice,” Nehme said. “States like Texas and Louisiana are using Lighthouse to provide an accurate picture of what trafficking looks like and the real progress being made by the entire anti-trafficking movement. If you are interested in using data to better understand your state’s response to human trafficking, reach out to our team!”