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Safe Harbor laws are a set of laws and policies that provide protection and support for child victims of sex trafficking. These laws, which have been implemented in various states across the United States, aim to recognize that children who are involved in commercial sexual exploitation are victims of a crime, rather than criminals themselves. The laws also provide funding for specialized services and support for victims, such as housing, counseling, education, and job training.
The history of Safe Harbor laws can be traced back to the late 1990s and early 2000s, when a growing number of individuals and organizations began to raise awareness about the issue of child sex trafficking in the United States. One of the key figures in this movement was Rachel Lloyd, a survivor of sex trafficking herself. Rachel Lloyd is the Founder and CEO of GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services) that has been working with commercial sexual exploited and trafficked youth for over twenty years. She began working with victims of sex trafficking in New York City in the late 1990s and quickly realized that the existing systems and services in place were not equipped to address the unique needs of these young victims. She founded GEMS in 1998, to fill the gap in services and support for child victims of sex trafficking.
With her work in GEMS, Rachel has helped to change the way society views and serves commercially sexually exploited youth. She has also worked on a legislative level to change the laws and policies that criminalize these youth and make it difficult for them to access services and support. She also has been a leading advocate for the passage of Safe Harbor laws and has worked with lawmakers and other advocates to pass these laws in several states. Rachel’s work has helped to change the way society views and serves commercially sexually exploited youth and has been instrumental in the development and passage of Safe Harbor laws across the United States.
Read more about Rachel’s story in her book, Girls Like Us or learn more about how you can exit with The Survivor’s Guide to Leaving.
Time to Thrive was developed by the Survive & Thrive Advocacy Center in Tallahassee, Florida. We created this site as a resource just for you. No matter where you live, this information is for you.
If you live in Tallahassee or these six North Florida counties (Leon,Gadsden, Jefferson, Liberty, Franklin, and Wakulla) feel free to reach out to us at 850-597-2080. We consider this phone number a warm line. It is not monitored 24/7 like a hotline but we do our best to respond to text and phone calls within 24 hours.
If you live outside of Tallahassee we suggest contacting the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or visiting Survive & Thrive Advocacy Center’s Get Help page to find the right resource for you.
Read more about contacting hotlines here.