top Exploitation Through Trafficking Act passed in 2013 aimed at preventing the prosecution of sexually exploited youth being sex trafficked, redirecting abused and exploited youth from the criminal justice system to the child welfare system. This and other laws redirecting victims of child sex trafficking to the child welfare system are known as "Safe Harbor" laws.As of April 2019, 18 states had legislation requiring that mandated reporters report based on suspicion of child abuse of neglect. Advocacy organizations
United States
There are organizations at national, state, and county levels in the United States that provide community leadership in preventing child abuse and neglect. Mary Ellen Wilson, also called Mary Ellen McCormack, was an American whose case of child abuse, the first documented case of child abuse in the United States, led to the creation of the New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children, which was incorporated in 1875. It was the worlds first child protective agency.Prevent Child Abuse America, founded in 1976, operates in 46 states to provide child abuse and neglect protection.Founded in 1985, the National Childrens Advocacy Center, along with National Childrens Alliance, coordinates efforts and sets standards and policy for child advocacy centers across the US and abroad. The Childrens Trust Fund Alliance, established in 1989, provides funding support to state level child abuse organisations. Many investigations into child abuse in the US are handled on the local level by 924 child advocacy centers, some of which are distributed among 34 other countries. Other organizations focus on specific prevention strategies.
There is no mandatory reporting law, which would grant reporters of child abuse anonymity and immunity. United States
In the 1960s, mandatory reporting in the United States was introduced and had been adopted in some form by all 50 states by 1970.: 3 
In 1974, the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act (CAPTA) was introduced and began an upswing in reported child sexual abuse cases which lasted until the 1990s. The Child Abuse Victims Rights Act of 1986 gave victims of child abuse the ability to file lawsuits against abuse perpetrators and their employers after the statue of limitations had expired. The Victims of Child Abuse Act of 1990 further gave victims of abuse capacity to press charges by permitting the court to assign lawyers to advise, act in the best interest of, and elevate the voices of child victims of abuse. The Adoption and Safe Families Act (1997) followed, shifting emphasis away from court-sanctioned reunification of families to giving parents or guardians time-bound opportunities for rehabilitation prior to making long term plans for children. Child Abuse Reform and Enforcement Act was enacted in 2000 to further reduce the incidence of child abuse and neglect. Shifting legislative focus more heavily towards sexual abuse and exploitation of children, Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act was passed in 2006 to increase penalties and registration for child sexual abuse, exploitation, and transportation crimes.