Other LanguagesThis news release was recently distributed by Shared Hope International.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 22, 2011
AG McKenna to receive U.S. Pathbreaker Award
Vancouver, WA—Shared Hope International congratulates Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna
as a recipient of the U.S. Pathbreaker Award.
Mr. McKenna will be awarded with the Pathbreaker Award at a ceremony in San Antonio, Texas on
November 30, 2011.
“As president of the National Association of Attorneys General, Rob McKenna has incorporated his
experience in supporting changes to Washington’s response to trafficking and prioritized this critical issue
among his peers through the Pillars of Hope framework,” said Linda Smith, President and Founder of Shared
Hope International. “Not only a leader for Washington State, I am thrilled that the Attorney General has now
become a leader for the nation to prioritize the protection of America’s children from sexual exploitation.”
“I’m inspired by Shared Hope’s tireless work to rescue the victims of human trafficking,” said McKenna.
“I’m also grateful to legislators in Washington state who have made our state a leader in the global fight
against human trafficking. It’s their leadership that motivates me, as president of the National Association of
Attorneys General, to bring this issue to the attention of millions more Americans. Thank you to Shared Hope
for this incredible honor.”
The Pathbreaker Award was initiated in 2003 as recognition for pioneering individuals in government and
civil society who fought for laws and response systems in countries identified by the U.S. Department of State
as lagging behind in addressing trafficking in persons. Shared Hope’s efforts to fight the sex trafficking of
women and children around the world included raising the issue and providing guidance and direction to these
country governments with support from the U.S. Department of State. These efforts abroad came home as sex
trafficking was revealed as a growing threat in the U.S. through Shared Hope research supported by the U.S.
Department of Justice and together with legislators and law enforcement, Shared Hope has worked to carve out
solutions in our own country.
Since then, Shared Hope has brought the Pathbreaker Award to the United States. They enlisted the assistance
of service providers, activists and concerned citizens across the country to nominate attorneys general who have
acted to provide a comprehensive legal framework to prevent domestic minor sex trafficking and provide access
to justice for those children exploited through the commercial sex industry.
Washington State’s legal framework against child sex trafficking has become one of the leading responses to
child sex trafficking, according to Shared Hope’s Protected Innocence Challenge report, to be released at a
press conference on Dec. 1.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Shared Hope
Loren Wohlgemuth
360.693.8100 office / 503.957.7347
Washington Attorney General’s Office
Janelle Guthrie
360.586.0725