Girls' Courts

Girls’ courts are for girls in the juvenile justice system who have a history of trauma or exploitation, or may be at risk for these things. The goal of a girls’ court is to have a different track from traditional delinquency court that recognizes these girls' unique and gender-specific risks and needs. The court focuses on providing services rather than on convictions or detentions. Similar to girls’ courts are CSEC courts, which are specifically for survivors of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC), or sex trafficking. Survivors of CSEC may be any gender.

Listing of Girls' Courts in California

If you think you, your family member, or your client may benefit from girls' court, please speak with her defense attorney or probation officer:

Resources

National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) Hotline\
The NHTRC is a national, toll-free hotline, available to answer calls from anywhere in the country, 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The NHTRC is a program of Polaris Project (www.polarisproject.org), a non-profit, nongovernmental organization working exclusively on the issue of human trafficking.

Call 1-888-3737-888 to report a tip; to connect with anti-trafficking services in your area; or to request training and technical assistance, general information, or specific anti-trafficking resources

HEAT Watch
The mission of H.E.A.T. Watch is to develop an effective, comprehensive, collaborative, and regional response to human trafficking of all forms; to provide tools, education, and community engagement to change societal, legal, and institutional approaches; and to support victims and hold their offenders accountable. H.E.A.T. Watch is a five-point program designed to combat human trafficking by raising community awareness, training law enforcement, prosecuting offenders, coordinating victim services, and changing legislative policy.

Briefing on Human Trafficking
This briefing discusses the definition and scope of human trafficking, risk factors for becoming a trafficking victim, the dynamics of how perpetrators maintain trafficking victims, and how trafficking cases present themselves in courtrooms.

Human Trafficking in California: Toolkit for Judicial Officers

Evaluations of California’s Girls’/CSEC Courts

Human Trafficking Awareness Self-Paced Courses