Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The Illinois State Police has announced that Illinois has gone from an “F” on the Shared Hope International Just Like Me Report Cards to an “A” due to the recent passage of the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act.

Illinois is one of only three states to receive an “A” grade. ​ The Just Like Me Report Cards grade states based on a Top Ten list of laws focused on human trafficking survivors and addressing its lasting impacts. ​ Illinois is now ranked second in the nation for its policies surrounding human trafficking survivors.

Secretary of the Illinois Department of Human Services and Joint Human Trafficking Working Group Co-Chair , Dulce M. Quintero explained that “This progress reflects the power of community – survivors, advocates, and public servants coming together to build systems rooted in dignity and care, at the Illinois Department of Human Services, we know healing doesn’t happen in isolation – ​ it grows from connection, from being seen, and from having access to support that honors each person’s experience. This Act strengthens our shared capacity to respond with humanity and purpose.”

Earlier this year, the Illinois General Assembly passed, and Governor Pritzker signed, Senate Bill 2323, the Illinois Statewide Trauma-Informed Response to Human Traffic Act, to provide consistency in the state’s response by creating a uniform service response, policies, agency infrastructure, screening tools, training, and protocols. ​ Much of the act focused on survivors. ​

The groundwork for the Act was laid by the ISP and the Illinois Department of Human Services led Joint Human Trafficking Working Group, a working group comprised of several State agencies, the Office of the Illinois Attorney General, the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, the Office of the State’s Attorneys Appellate Prosecutor, and more than 60 stakeholders representing human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault advocacy organizations, survivors, local law enforcement, prosecutors, and courts, as well as medical, substance use disorder, and behavioral health providers.