DES MOINES, Iowa (Gray Iowa Capitol Bureau) – Shared Hope International is a faith-based nonprofit that aims to eradicate sex trafficking. They’re issuing rankings for every state on how they’re trying to reduce sex trafficking of minors. Iowa received an “F”.
The grades are broken down into six categories. First up, Criminal provisions. Iowa gets a “B” – meaning the state holds sex traffickers accountable pretty well.
Iowa gets a “C” for having other options for victims instead having to testify live in court in front of their traffickers. After that – the report card isn’t so forgiving. Iowa gets an F in every other category because of a lack of what Stephen Padre calls “Safe Harbor” laws. “Those laws are ones that protect survivors from being re-victimized in the criminal justice system and that also give victims access to services that can help them recover from that,” Padre said.
Padre says one of the most glaring issues is that Iowa is one of 21 states that allows minors to be charged with prostitution. “Commercially sexually exploited minors can be can be held criminally responsible for acts that they do while they’re involved in sex trafficking which means that they’re re-victimized,” Padre said.
Another area Iowa receives poor marks in – social services for victims. “We want to also see they have access to services that can help them recover. Services that the state helps fund and they are comprehensive to ensure they can heal fully. Both physically and psychologically from that trauma,” Padre said.
For the state to raise its grade, Padre says those social services should be victim-centric to help people get back on their feet. “That they can get things like vocational assistance so that they can enter the workforce again and they can build up their skills again, going back to school if they need to do that because they missed years of school,” Padre said.
Every state surrounding Iowa also got an F on their report card except for Minnesota, which got a C.
Victims of human trafficking can get help by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. You can also text the word “HELP” to 233733.
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