Mississippi receives an A for its efforts to curb sex trafficking

Mississippi has received an A grade for its efforts to curb sex trafficking, one of 15 states to do so.

Shared Hope International, a non-profit advocacy group located in Vancouver, Wash., “strives to prevent the conditions that foster sex trafficking, restore victims of sex slavery, and bring justice to vulnerable women and children,” the organization’s website states.

Since 2011, Shared Hope has analyzed the sex trafficking laws and enforcement mechanisms of all 50 U.S. states, publishing report cards for each along with detailed analysis and recommendations. The focus areas for the report cards are criminalization of domestic minor sex trafficking, criminal provisions addressing demand, criminal provisions for traffickers and facilitators, protective provisions for the child victims, and criminal justice tools for investigation and prosecution.

In 2011, no state received an A grade, while 26 states received an F.

Mississippi’s grade in 2011 was a D. Shared Hope stated on that year’s report card that “victims have few protective provisions and law enforcement is missing critical training and investigative tools, such as the ability to wiretap to investigate commercial sexual exploitation of children cases.”

By last year, the Magnolia State had improved enough to rate a B.

The jump to an A grade this year is due to a law that went into effect July 1. The law clarifies that minors under the age of 18 cannot be charged with prostitution. It also allows trafficked minors to be taken into protective custody and receive counseling. The Mississippi House unanimously passed the law during the 2019 session.

Mississippi House Speaker Philip Gunn, who authored the bipartisan law, called the A grade “a monumental occasion” at a press conference Wednesday morning, adding that Shared Hope is using the Mississippi law as a model for other states.

“Through 8 years of empowering grassroots action, Shared Hope is leading a movement and has changed the map from 26 states with F grades in 2011, to 35 states with A and B grades in [2019],” the organization said in a statement. “Across the nation, Shared Hope’s advocacy tools provide a bridge for anyone to reach out to their elected officials and effect change.”

View the 2019 Mississippi Report Card.

View the 2019 Fact Sheet showing rankings for all 50 states.

Visit the Shared Hope International website for more information.