Victories
PROSECUTION
- In February 2011, county attorneys in the seven-county Twin Cities’ metro area announced that they will no longer prosecute any child who is a victim of prostitution. Instead, the children will be treated as victims and will be protected. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi said, “By using a victim-centered approach that is cost-effective and sound public policy for these children, we can truly give them the appropriate intervention and treatment necessary for their safety and welfare, while protecting our communities.”
- In May 2011, St. Louis County Attorney Mark Rubin and local law enforcement announced new policies and procedures to ensure that children trafficked as prostitutes are treated as victims in need of protection and services, not as juvenile delinquents.
LEGISLATION
- Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton signed Safe Harbor into law on July 20, 2011. The law will treat commercially sexually exploited youth (under age 16) as victims in need of protection, not criminals; increase fines on “johns;” and develop a victim-centered statewide service model.
- At the Federal level, a Safe Harbor bill passed the Senate in 2010, but was not heard in the House. The Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Deterrence and Victims Support Act of 2011 was read twice in the Senate and referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
INVESTING IN YOUTH
“Vulnerability” is the one thing that all girls who are sexually trafficked have in common, making them easy targets by predators. The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s girlsBEST (girls Building Economic Success Together) Fund program is a sure antidote. By engaging our state’s most vulnerable girls, girlsBEST helps transform them from vulnerable girls to confident young leaders, building a sure pathway to their future economic success along the way. We encourage institutions and individuals to make investments in programs that support vulnerable youth and ensure their ability to thrive.
