Posted by Daphne in 
Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act Ballot Initiative Submitted to the Attorney General’s Office
Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act (“CASE Act”) Ballot Initiative Submitted to the Attorney General’s Office
Fremont, Calif. – November 1, 2011- California Against Slavery and the Safer California Foundation submitted the Californians Against Sexual Exploitation Act (“CASE Act”) to the California Attorney General to strengthen laws against human traffickers and improve Megan’s Law against online predators.
Slated for the November 2012 General Ballot, this groundbreaking initiative will deter human traffickers with stiffer criminal penalties and higher fines, which will be directed to fund victim services. The initiative will also aid district attorneys in prosecuting human trafficking offenses, mandate human trafficking training for law enforcement officers, make sex traffickers registered sex offenders, and require all sex offenders to disclose internet accounts. The initiative is already supported by law enforcement associations throughout California and numerous state and national advocacy groups. Many more endorsers are expected in the coming months.
A United States Department of Justice study estimates that upwards of 300,000 American children are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation. Most victims are recruited into the sex trade at the age of 12 to 14 years old, and some are trafficked as young as four years old.[1] The anonymity afforded by many Internet sites has fueled the rapid growth of sex trafficking, making the enticement and trade of women and children easier and less risky than ever before.
The initiative proponents are Daphne Phung, founder of California Against Slavery, and Chris Kelly, founder of the Safer California Foundation and a Silicon Valley attorney and philanthropist who formerly oversaw online privacy, safety, and security efforts as Chief Privacy Officer at Facebook. California Against Slavery is a non-partisan, grassroots group formed by Californians dedicated to ending human trafficking starting where they live. The Safer California Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts to protect Californians from all forms of criminal exploitation.
“Human trafficking is the most egregious and under-recognized human rights abuse in the United States today. It is our moral obligation to protect the most vulnerable in society, particularly our children, from human trafficking and sexual exploitation,” said Daphne Phung.
“The Internet has changed the way we live, mostly for the better, but it has given criminals new means to prey on their victims. It became clear to me while working at Facebook that, to build a safer online infrastructure, we need better and enforceable laws to deter online predators,” said Kelly. The CASE Act includes the pioneering work Kelly did with New York Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York’s e-STOP Act, which has been responsible for the removal of over 25,000 convicted sex offenders from online sites.
“The commercial sexual exploitation of children is one of the urgent human rights issue in our state. When it is passed, the CASE initiative will be a monumental step forward for California in preventing sexual exploitation and protecting victims of human trafficking,” said Lieutenant Ron Cottingham, president of the Peace Officers Research Association of California.
“This initiative will give law enforcement the tools we need to prevent this horrible crime and save lives. When approved by California voters, this initiative puts the first nail in the coffin of human trafficking for our state and the rest of the nation,” said Brian Marvel, president of the San Diego Police Officers Association.
The Attorney General will prepare the legal title and summary that is required to appear on initiative petitions. Once the proponents receive the official language from the Attorney General, they may circulate the initiative for signatures. They must collect 504,760 registered voter signatures to qualify the initiative for the 2012 ballot.
About California Against Slavery
California Against Slavery (CAS) is a non-partisan human rights organization dedicated to ending human trafficking, starting where we live. The organization’s mission is to defend the freedom of every child, woman and man by empowering the people of California to fulfill our obligation to stop human trafficking.
Human trafficking is a criminal business that profits from enslaving people for forced labor and sexual servitude. This criminal enterprise victimizes United States residents, many of them children, who are trafficked for sexual purposes, and foreigners brought into the country, often under fraudulent pretenses, who are coerced into forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation.
For more information, please visit http://www.CaliforniaAgainstSlavery.org
About Safer California Foundation
The Safer California Foundation is dedicated to supporting efforts to protect Californians from all forms of criminal exploitation. Created by Chris Kelly, former Facebook Chief Privacy Officer and a Silicon Valley attorney and philanthropist, the Safer California Foundation looks forward to the day when every neighborhood in California is as safe as our most secure neighborhoods today.
Contact
Daphne Phung, Executive Director and Founder of California Against Slavery
daphne@californiaagainstslavery.org or (510) 545-3227
California Against Slavery
P.O. Box 7057, Fremont, CA 94537
References:
[1] The National Report on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking: America’s Prostituted Children, Shared Hope International, May 2009. Presented to the Congressional Hearing on Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking, September 2010.
