By Julie Atella and Lindsay Turner with Kelsey Imbertson, Sophak Mom

Minnesota’s Safe Harbor law provides the legislative framework for legal protections and state services for sexually exploited, including sexually trafficked, youth. Passed in 2011, this legislation shifted legal definitions of “sexually exploited youth” and “delinquent child” to acknowledge that exploited minors are not delinquent, but are victims and should be treated as such. Definitions for “prostitution,” “patron,” and “prostitute” were also amended. This initial legislation also introduced a diversion program for 16- and 17-year-olds engaged in prostitution. Furthermore, the legislation increased penalties for facilitators and patrons of commercial sexual exploitation. Finally, the legislation directed the formation of a comprehensive, multi-state-agency approach to ensure communities statewide can effectively identify sexually exploited youth (see description of the No Wrong Door framework, Appendix A). Partially in response to advocacy, as well as evaluation findings and recommendations, the legislation was later expanded so that youth age 17 and younger are protected from criminal prosecution, and youth age 24 and younger are eligible for services. However, young adults age 18 and over can still be criminally prosecuted. It is important to note that Safe Harbor provides services to young adults through age 24, so people who are receiving services from the grantees are generally referred to as “youth.”

This biennial report includes findings and recommendations about the Safe Harbor initiative, based on key informant interviews, participation surveys and interviews, focus groups, and information about youth collected in a database by grantees.

St. Paul, MN: Wilder Research, 2019. 102p.