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| People of faith are called by that faith
to speak for all children. |
September 4, 2008 |
| An Opportunity for Action: Use Your Voice for Children! | |
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State Budget Cuts Will Close the New Assessment Center for Prostituted Girls
During this year's Georgia legislative session, one of ICM's proudest accomplishments was helping win inclusion of $560,000 for a Regional Assessment Center for prostituted adolescent girls. The center opened in June with 12 beds and already has a waiting list. On average, one girl a week is referred for help.
Now the $560,000 you helped secure for the Regional Assessment Center is frozen. Without action the program will run out of funds in 3 months.
Because of the state budget shortfall, the Regional Assessment Center is one of the programs being recommended for elimination.
In September the Governor will decide what state program cuts become final. We have a small window of opportunity to raise concerns about the unfairness of cutting 100% of 2009 funds for this critical program.
This $560,000, though small compared to a total budget for Georgia of over $21 billion, was considered a critical step in beginning to help victims of child prostitution in developing a future, not a past. It was also considered a critical step in starting to address the broad issue of child prostitution in Georgia.
We need you help in ensuring the Governor and the Georgia General Assembly understand that it is critical this budget item not be cut.
1) Write or call Governor Perdue to restore the $560,000 for the Regional Assessment Center.
2) Call, write, e-mail or visit with your senator and representative in the Georgia General Assembly
3) Write or call the members of the Joint Committee on Child Sexual Exploitation.
Addresses and phone numbers for 1) and 3) are below.
Thank you for all you do,
Sylvia Carroll
Co-hair, Advocacy Committee
Please distribute this widely. |
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Contact Information for Assessment Center Calls Governor Sonny Perdue
Governor - Office of the Governor
Room 203 Georgia State Capitol Bldg 206 Washington Street
Atlanta, GA 30334
O: 404.656.1776
http://gov.georgia.gov/00/gov/contact_us
Legislative members of the Joint Child Sexual Exploitation Committee:
Senator Renee' Unterman of Buford (R SS 45)
Room 421-B State Capitol Building 206 Washington Street
Atlanta, GA 30334
O: 404.463.1368 H: 770.945.1887 F: 404.651.6768
renee.unterman@senate.ga.gov
Address to use when legislature is not in session:
PO Box 508
Buford, GA 30518
Jack Murphy of Cumming (R SS 27)
Senator - Georgia State Senate
Room 304-B Coverdell Legislative Office Building 18 Capitol Square
Atlanta, GA 30334
O: 404.656.7127 H: 770.887.1960 F: 404.651.6767
jack.murphy@senate.ga.gov
Address to use when legislature is not in session:
3830 Adams Road
Cumming, GA 30041
Kasim Reed of Atlanta (D SS 35)
Senator - Georgia State Senate
Room 420-D State Capitol Building 206 Washington Street
Atlanta, GA 30334
O: 404.463.1379 H: 404.346.7548 F: 404.463.9728
kasim.reed@senate.ga.gov
Address to use when legislature is not in session:
1755 Loch Lomond Trail
Atlanta, GA 30331
Rep. Calvin Hill of Canton (R SH 021)
Representative - Georgia House of Representatives
Suite 613-A Coverdell Legislative Office Building 18 Capitol Square
Atlanta, GA 30334
O: 404.656.0126 H: 770.345.7252 F: 770.345.2394
calvin.hill@house.ga.gov
Address to use when legislature is not in session:
145 Mountain Brook Drive
Canton, GA 30115
Rep. David Ralston of Blue Ridge (R SH 007)
Representative - Georgia House of Representatives
Room 132-A State Capitol Building 206 Washington Street
Atlanta, GA 30334
O: 404.656.5943 H: 706.632.2221 F: 404.657.8277
dralston1@etcmail.com
Address to use when legislature is not in session:
PO Box 1196
Blue Ridge, GA 30513
Rep. Amy Carter of Valdosta (D SH 175)
Representative - Georgia House of Representatives
Suite 612 Coverdell Legislative Office Building 18 Capitol Square
Atlanta, GA 30334
O: 404.656.0325 H: 229.245.2733 F: 404.651.8086
amy.carter@house.ga.gov
Address to use when legislature is not in session:
PO Box 1535
Valdosta, GA 31603-1535 | |
Sample Letter for Assessment Center Contacts
Re: Victims of Child Prostitution and Trafficking
Regional Assessment Center
FY 2009 Budget Item
I solicit your support in maintaining the funding of $560,000 for the Regional Assessment Center included in the FY2009 Budget.
There is no such thing as a child prostitute. Countless girls are coerced, abused, and forced to live a life of exploitation at the hands of predators. It is time for the child victims of prostitution and trafficking to have a future. . . not a past. Continued funding of the Regional Assessment Center is a small step in the right direction as we begin to address this issue.
Metropolitan Atlanta has become a national hub for child prostitution and trafficking. More adolescent girls in Georgia are harmed by prostitution each month than are killed in car accidents each year. These young girls, the true victims of child prostitution, are arrested and detained in juvenile detention centers. The pimps and the johns, the true criminals and profiteers, are safely walking the streets- perpetuating the sexual exploitation of adolescent girls in our State.
Children who have been trafficked and commercially sexually exploited need appropriate therapeutic services to recover from this abuse and grow into productive citizens.
In cases where child victims of prostitution are provided with supportive services and a secure environment, their exploiters are more likely to be prosecuted. And more importantly, the victims are able to reconstruct their lives, building a future . . .not a past.
The Regional Assessment Center provides therapeutic services including dedicated assessment beds, case management, education, psychological treatment, rehabilitation.
The Regional Assessment Center serves as a resource for law enforcement, giving them a safe place to take child victims of prostitution.
Thank you for your consideration of this matter. | |
Background Information from the 2008 Assessment Center Campaign:
Talking Points provided by "A Future. Not a Past."
1. Metropolitan Atlanta has become a national hub for the prostitution of adolescent girls, with the trafficking of girls from across the state and across the nation becoming an ever-increasing problem.
2. Children who have been trafficked, and commercially sexually exploited children need appropriate therapeutic services to recover from this abuse & grow into productive citizens.
3. Right now child-victims are sent to Youth Detention Centers (YDC) because enough appropriate services do not exist. Putting prostituted children in detention often makes their difficulties worse.
4. The $560,000 in the 2009 budget covers all supportive services (case management, education, therapies, rehabilitation, room & board) to establish seven dedicated assessment beds at a facility in Georgia.
5. The center would also serve as a resource for law enforcement. Sometimes law enforcement officers are reluctant to pick-up prostituted children because there is no appropriate safe place to take them.
6. Law enforcement and social service organizations across the state have mentioned the need for this type of services for victims of prostitution.
7. Any funds appropriated by the General Assembly would be disbursed to an appropriate vendor through a competitive request for proposal (RFP) process. The Juvenile Justice Fund, a respected non-profit organization affiliated with the Fulton County Juvenile Court, is the agency spearheading this advocacy effort.
8. We urge you to support funding for a center and the 2009 budgeted amount that will expand services.
The problem is widespread.
It's not just Atlanta. The prostitution of children in Georgia has often been associated just with the City of Atlanta. This is simply not true -- this horrendous activity is taking place all across the state. Prostitution harms children of all races and socio-economic classes. And the Internet has made the problem even more pervasive.
· Recent quarterly results from an ongoing independent tracking study sponsored by "A Future. Not a Past" indicates that more than 250 adolescent girls were being commercially sexually exploited in Georgia - and these numbers represent only the month of November, 2007.
· "Johns" are actively seeking out young girls for sex on the Internet. This same independent tracking study has found that 65% of men who inquire about "Craigslist" sex service ads are responsive to listings specifically offering "young" females.
· To bring it home, more adolescent girls in Georgia are harmed by prostitution each month than are killed in car accidents each year.
What are the consequences for the perpetrators?
Under Georgia law, those convicted of soliciting sex from or pimping a child younger than 18 can be sentenced to five to 20 years in prison plus asset forfeiture under state pandering.
ICM agrees with A Future. Not a Past.
"There is no such thing as a child prostitute. Countless girls are coerced, abused and forced to live a life of exploitation at the hands of predators." It is time for the child victims of prostitution and trafficking to have a future. . . not a past.
Continued FY 2009 Funding of $560,000 for the Regional Assessment Center is a small step in the right direction as we begin to address this issue. We are in favor of the continued funding of the center and we solicit your support.
What can you do?
· Learn more about the situation at www.afuturenotapast.org.
· Educate your faith community about the condition.
· Contact your legislator by phone, by letter and in person.
· Start phone-in, e-mail and letter-writing campaigns to the legislators who represent the district of your faith community.
· Request a personal meeting with your legislator to discuss why your faith community supports this cause.
Where Can you find more information?
A Future. Not a Past.
395 Pryor Street, SW, Suite 1025
Atlanta, Georgia 30312
404.224.4566
www.afuturenotapast.org |
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| Doing what we are called to do.
Doing what we are able to do.
Doing what must be done!
ICM Mission and Goals
The Interfaith Children's Movement was formed in 2001 as an intentional association of individuals and communities of faith from all religious traditions.
The Interfaith Children's Movement strives to be a voice for all Georgia children, but especially the poor and marginalized whose voices are often unheard.
ICM works closely with Georgia's policy-oriented child advocacy organizatons:
Voices for Georgia's Children,
The Barton Child Law and Policy Clinic at Emory University,
Georgia Appleseed,
JUSTGeorgia,
Prevent Child Abuse Georgia and
A Future Not a Past (child prostitution prevention).
These organizations set the agenda for our advocacy work for children.
ICM's faith community members provide a megaphone to the legislature about what needs to be done for children. | |
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