The mission of the SAGE Project is to improve the lives of individuals victimized by, or at risk for sexual exploitation, violence and prostitution through trauma recovery services, substance abuse treatment, vocational training, housing assistance and legal advocacy.

The ultimate “project” of SAGE is to help bring about the end of commercial sexual exploitation – stamping out the supply and demand for CSE/CSEC and its high costs, while effectively and compassionately addressing the problem, misconceptions and biases that allow CSE/CSEC to continue.

We at SAGE fulfill our mission through our localized survivor-centered programs, services, outreach, and collaborations, as well as through our broader advocacy, education, replication, and public-awareness efforts. The SAGE Project works closely with law enforcement, public health and social service agencies, and the District Attorney’s office, on restorative justice programs, trauma and drug recovery programs, wellness and vocational programs, education and outreach, and – since a high percentage of prostituted individuals are sexually abused and trafficked into the sex trade as children – efforts to end the escalating sexual trafficking of our children and youth.

SAGE has provided an example and expert consultation for local, state, federal and global legislative initiatives related to CSE and trafficking. SAGE's very effective and efficient efforts are increasingly modeled by communities throughout the country and world.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation, or CSE, is not a victimless crime; it affects everyone it touches – from the exploited and abused children and adults, to the purchasers of CSE-based services and their families, to the communities and cultures in which it flourishes. CSE has high costs in dollars and lives, yet it flourishes because of outdated assumptions, biases, and policies, as well as from a lack of understanding, high-quality research, and updated policy. We at SAGE aim to do our part to change that.