Safe Harbor/No Wrong Door
Minnesota’s Safe Harbor Law ensures young people who are sexually exploited are treated as victims and survivors, not criminals. Through the No Wrong Door model, these youth can receive trauma-informed support rather than being treated as juvenile delinquents.
Commercial sexual exploitation of youth occurs when someone age 24 and younger engages in sexual activity in exchange for the promise of something of value: money, drugs, food, shelter or transportation for example. Sex trafficking is one type of sexual exploitation- in which someone other than the “buyer” or “victim” profits from or facilitates an act of prostitution- and can often co-exist with forced labor, debt bondage and slavery.
Information about Minnesota's implementation of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) is here. Updated information about the work to develop specialized residential settings for youth who were or are at risk of becoming victims of sex trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation is available under the Family First section. Resources and research to guide residential providers are available on the Aspire MN website.
Required training for direct contact staff in certified settings serving sex trafficked, commercially sexually exploited and at risk youth (ST/CSE/At Risk youth)- Available now!
All direct contact staff working in certified residential settings for ST/CSE/At Risk youth are required by statute to take the new commissioner-approved training, which is now available here. The training is made up of 12 sub-modules and takes less than four hours to complete. Please see the training website for more information about timelines and details for completion.