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While there is much work before us, there has
also been significant progress, both for The SAGE Project,
Inc., and in making strides to raise awareness and take steps
towards eliminating Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE) of
adults and children. Here are just a few highlights worth
celebrating:
Progress at SAGE
Legislative and Policy Progress
Public Awareness Progress
- The SAGE Project, Inc. was awarded
a $1.25 million dollar federal appropriation in 2003, thanks
to the support of United States Senator Diane Feinstein
of California. This particular funding allocation will be
focused towards extending SAGE’s capacity to serve
women and girls in the San Francisco Bay Area, and to solidify
The SAGE Project, Inc. local survivor-centered model for
replication in other municipalities throughout the United
States.
In cooperation with law enforcement, the Courts, and community-based
organizations, this appropriation is making it possible
for SAGE to set the national standard—and share our experience
and learnings—for successfully curbing the powerful wave
of trafficking that forces women and girls into prostitution.
SAGE is working closely with the Department of Justice,
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, to
ensure outstanding management and significant results in
the areas funded by this appropriation.
- SAGE planned and conducted its first formal
capital campaign effort during 2003 and 2004, to enable
us to more effectively plan for—and fund—sustained
efforts to refine our organizational model, expand the replication
of SAGE's programs, increase our outreach for youth affected
by CSE, and support our other efforts to help raise awareness
and bring an end to Commercial Sexual Exploitation (CSE).
- SAGE, in partnership with The Edgewood Center
for Children & Families, was awarded a contract to operate
new programs for a secure house for sexually exploited girls.
A report from the Coalition to End the Exploitation of Kids
indicates that there are 3,000 girls in San Francisco involved
in prostitution.
The new safe house will feature outreach and support services
including education, mental health and substance abuse services,
and will have a support staff comprised of experts in the
issues related to child abuse and exploited youth.
The collaboration between The Edgewood Center and The SAGE
Project, Inc. pairs SAGE's extensive, survivor-centered
outreach and service history with the Edgewood Center's
experience in operating residential facilities. Both organizations
emphasize outreach and support services that foster healing
and empowerment for youth. The secure house will offer shelter
to up to 10 girls, and may be in operation as early as Spring
2005.
Funding for the project also reflects a collaborative effort,
coming through private funds from the San Francisco Foundation,
with support from the San Francisco Departments of Public
Health, Human Services, and Children, Youth & Their
Families.
To stay up to date on CSE/CSEC issues, and
the efforts of The SAGE Project, Inc., subscribe to our SAGE
CSE Bulletin—an email newsletter that gets distributed on
a bimonthly (and sometimes more frequent) basis. Use the links
above to subscribe.
For information on other SAGE programs and services, use the
links above.
- The United States Department of State and
Department of Justice are among several federal agencies
that—thanks to significant legislative progress—are
putting the issues of trafficking and Commercial Sexual
Exploitation (CSE) and the Commercial Sexual Exploitation
of Children (CSEC) on the priority list. In recent years,
significant legislation included the Trafficking Victims
Protection Reauthorization Act of 2003, and the Prosecutorial
Remedies and Other Tools to end the Exploitation of Children
Today (PROTECT) Act of 2003.
For a more detailed overview of the U.S. government's anti-trafficking
and anti-CSE/CSEC efforts, visit the Department
of State—Trafficking in Persons web site.
- There was also progress at the State level
in the United States, with the California State Assembly
and Senate passing AB 3042, the Child Protection, Enhancement
Penalties for Children Exploited Through Prostitution—amends the Penal Code with a sentence enhancement for crimes
of sexual abuse and exploitation. The bill was sent to Governor
Arnold Schwarzenegger for his signature.
There has been other significant progress in the legislative
and policy arenas, both in the United States and worldwide.
For more detailed highlights, see our Legislation Highlights
Summary and other CSE/CSEC information resources in Issues
& Actions, or our Information Center.
Along with the regular work of The SAGE Project,
Inc. and our sister agencies in the United States and elsewhere
in the world, there have been several significant efforts that
helped to spotlight the issues of trafficking and CSE/CSEC.
Several of these include:
- A 2001 study funded by the U.S. Department
of Justice and conducted by Richard Estes and Neil Weiner
of the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work
found that there were "at least" 250,000 U.S.
children are victims of sexual exploitation each year. The
Estes/Weiner Study was heavily publicized, and served
as one catalyst for broader coverage of the issues on The
Oprah Winfrey Show.
- The Oprah Winfrey Show aired a program in
March 2004 called "Suburban
Teen: The New Prostitute", based in part on the
Estes/Weiner study. While not all advocates agreed with
the information provided, the show was a welcomed effort
to bring the issues of youth prostitution and CSE/CSEC into
the public's awareness.
- Other widely distributed news magazines covered
the issues in 2003 and 2004 as well. A good overview can
be found at Morality
in Media, Inc.'s web site Obscenity Crimes.com, highlights
issues related to youth prostitution, and includes references
and links to several other articles. The web site Especially
for Parents section includes a weekly column and other information
for parents, as well.
Find other highlights and links in our
Information Center, using the links above.
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