Shared Hope International

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Shared Hope International

You're invited to join the movement to end s*x trafficking!
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Shared Hope International strives to prevent the conditions that foster s*x trafficking, restore victims of s*x slavery, and bring justice to vulnerable women and children. We envision a world passionately opposed to s*x trafficking and a community committed to restoring survivors to lives of purpose, value and choice – one life at a time.

05/28/2026

Under current law, youth involved in prostitution-related offenses can still face criminal system involvement despite being victims of trafficking. HB 321 takes important steps to fix this by:
- Presuming that minors engaged in prostitution are trafficking victims
- Exempting child victims from criminal responsibility for prostitution-related offenses
- Expanding affirmative defenses for trafficking survivors
- Improving referrals and access to specialized, trauma-informed services

The bill also maintains strong accountability for buyers who exploit minors, reinforcing that adults—not children—should bear criminal responsibility in commercial s*xual exploitation cases.

By advancing a survivor-centered approach, HB 321 helps ensure that vulnerable youth are connected to safety, stability, and healing rather than pushed deeper into the justice system.

Urge the Louisiana Governor to support HB 321 today! https://www.votervoice.net/SharedHope/Campaigns/134810/Respond

05/26/2026

This last week, Shared Hope International had the opportunity to join Visit Vancouver WA at Hotel Indigo Vancouver Dwtn – Portland Area, an IHG Hotel to train hotel staff from across Southwest Washington on how to recognize and respond to potential trafficking situations. Our Director of Training Advancement, Mikayla Simeral, MSW, MA, did an amazing job presenting this training.

With the upcoming World Cup bringing increased travel to the West Coast — including host cities like Seattle, Los Angeles, and San Francisco — it’s more important than ever to equip frontline staff with the tools to identify exploitation and take action.

Major sporting events do not create trafficking where it didn’t already exist. Trafficking is already happening in our communities. But as the number of visitors increases, so can opportunities for exploitation. Prevention starts with awareness and preparedness.

One of the best ways to prepare yourself and your staff is through education. Take Shared Hope’s free “Exploited” E-Learning Course today and become part of the solution: https://lnkd.in/ek6cwxxD

05/22/2026

Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a deeply troubling case in which courts at every level held that Twitter/X was immune under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, even where the platform was alleged to have knowingly possessed and distributed child s*xual abuse material (CSAM).

For years, advocates have warned that Section 230 has been interpreted far beyond its original purpose, creating sweeping immunity that can leave survivors without meaningful avenues for justice when technology platforms knowingly facilitate exploitation. Shared Hope International has long called for Congress to amend or sunset Section 230 where it shields platforms from accountability for conduct tied to child exploitation and trafficking.

Congress now has an opportunity to act through the STOP CSAM Act. The bill would create a narrow and targeted exception allowing survivors to bring civil claims against platforms that knowingly or recklessly facilitate the distribution of CSAM. It does not eliminate Section 230 wholesale — it simply ensures that Big Tech cannot hide behind immunity when children are being exploited online.

Children deserve more than condolences after the fact. Survivors deserve access to justice. And technology companies should not receive blanket immunity when they knowingly profit from abuse.

Take action in support of the STOP CSAM Act here: https://ow.ly/UbwS50Z3n4G

05/18/2026

We’re encouraged to see FIFA taking proactive steps to address trafficking risks ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup 2026.

But policies alone don’t protect vulnerable individuals. Real impact requires effective training, strong enforcement, and coordinated action.

At Shared Hope International, we equip professionals and communities with the tools to identify trafficking, respond appropriately, and strengthen the systems that protect children.

Take our e-learning courses here: https://sharedhope.org/what-we-do/prevent/training/

05/16/2026

We spent two years finding answers to a hard question.

What if we didn't default to systems in all cases of child s*x trafficking? 🤔

Picture this: a child is being trafficked by someone who is not their caregiver.

In most states right now, that case can still land on a CPS desk, and trigger an investigation into the child's caregivers and home environment.

The parents who didn't traffic their child.

The caregivers who may be the strongest protective factor that child has left.

After two years of research and field engagement, we adopted a new and needed policy position: only cases of caregiver-perpetrated child s*x trafficking should be subject to a CPS investigation and child welfare interventions.

Other cases need a different response. So we co-designed a framework for one.

Our Roadmap Report outlines how communities can mobilize and bolster existing resources to effectively respond to trafficking, while keeping families intact and reducing vulnerabilities to both exploitation and unnecessary system involvement.

We're actualizing this blueprint through the launch of two community-designed pilot projects, proving that this isn't just a theory, it's a scalable solution.

This Foster Care Month, the most meaningful thing you can do is invest in solutions that both support system-involved youth and narrow the front door to foster care.

It's stand up for change.

💬 Tag someone who needs to see this. 🔗 Link in comments for the Roadmap Report. 🗣️ Ask your state legislators about investing in comprehensive community-based services.

A state's budget is its policy statement. And investing in communities is how we protect children.

05/14/2026

You won't want to miss this year's JuST Training Conference in October in DC.

Learn more and register today to receive a $100 discount! justconference.org

05/12/2026

When you a child entering foster care, what comes to mind?

Most people assume it's because the child experienced physical or s*xual abuse.

The truth is different, and it matters.

Roughly 75% of child welfare cases are opened due to allegations of "neglect." And those cases are largely driven by poverty or parental substance use. Not parents who don't love their kids but who may lack stable housing, reliable childcare, or access to substance-use services. Essentially parents without a safety net.

NY Chief Judge Rowan Wilson said it plainly: "you may be in public housing, and the fact that your child is found with a small amount of ma*****na . . . may then disentitle you from public housing. So now you’re in a shelter. There are all sorts of snowball effects like this that disproportionately affect poor people and result in their children being taken away.”

Here's why this matters for trafficking prevention:

The same realities and inequities that pull families into the child welfare system- instability, isolation, lack of resources- are the same conditions that make children vulnerable to traffickers.
You cannot fight child trafficking without addressing the underlying conditions that feed it. They are the same fight. 💙

It's National Foster Care Month. We're spending it telling the truth.

Did this shift how you think about foster care and trafficking prevention? Tell us in the comments.

Address

PO Box 1907
Vancouver, WA
98668

Telephone

+18664375433

Website

https://linktr.ee/sharedhopeinternational

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