Louisiana Ranked No. 1 in Nation for Cracking Down on Human Trafficking

Press Release

Today, Governor Jindal highlighted that Shared Hope International ranked Louisiana the top state in the nation for cracking down on human trafficking. The No. 1 ranking shows that Louisiana continues to be recognized as a national leader in combatting the sex trafficking industry.

Governor Jindal said, "This report shows just how far Louisiana has come in our mission to eradicate human trafficking. Human trafficking is a terrible industry that preys on our women and children and treats them like property rather than human beings. To give a voice to these victims and help put a stop to this industry, we worked with the Legislature and victim advocates on legislation to crack down on human-trafficking criminals by strengthening penalties, as well better protecting the victims of these horrible crimes. Make no mistake -- we will stop at nothing to end human trafficking and put the perpetrators of these crimes behind bars. Together, we can end human trafficking."

"The Protected Innocence Challenge," Shared Hope's annual report card, grades each state on 41 key legislative components that must be addressed in the state's laws in order to effectively respond to the crime of domestic minor sex trafficking. Louisiana received a score of 96, the highest in the country. The score was determined by analyzing Louisiana's legislation on the following categories: criminalization of domestic minor sex trafficking, criminal justice tools for investigation and prosecution, criminal provisions addressing demand, and criminal provisions for traffickers and facilitators.

In just three years, Louisiana jumped from a C ranking to an A ranking by Shared Hope in its overall grade, largely due to Governor Jindal's legislative packages that strengthened human trafficking penalties and victim protections.

The most recent 2014 Legislative Package included legislation that allowed courts to create specialized human trafficking divisions, increased penalties for traffickers by allowing for asset forfeiture, added additional protections for victims, and required all abortion clinics to post the human trafficking hotline number. These laws ensure that trafficking criminals are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, while providing victims with more protection.

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