The STOPLight

Leaders meet to prevent exploitation

The CSEC [Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children] Consultation (March 16-18, 2001) in San Francisco brought together 25 organizations from all over the U.S. for the purpose of pursuing a coordinated strategy for eliminating the commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth. Five of these groups came from the Twin Cities area; we are clearly leaders in the area of response, prevention and rehabilitation. In the course of the meeting, among many other things, I discovered that this problem is far more widespread than I had previously supposed.

By current estimates (Professor Richard Estes, University of Pennsylvania School of Social Work), about 410,000 children (up to the age of 17) in the United States are currently being exploited through direct sexual means. About 6,470,000 children in the U.S. are being exposed to unwanted sexual materials by means of the Internet, and about 1,720,000 are being subjected to sexual cyber-harassment.

Globally, about 4,000,000 persons are being trafficked either within their own country or abroad for the institutionalized marketing of sexual activities. Procurers in the U.S. receive on the average of $16,000 for the purchase of a young woman (under the age of 18) to be held in sexual enslavement. In response to this massive injustice 29 nations have signed on to the Protocol from the First World Congress on the Rights of Children (Stockholm, 1996). Because of our unwillingness to speak out against the execution of minors, the U.S. has not yet signed on to this protocol.

A-STOP along with New Horizons Ministry in Seattle/Tacoma was one of two faith-based organizations in attendance. The response I received was unequivocally positive. Others were very interested in our resources. Many persons were fascinated with discovering how it was that our faith sustained us as we deal with the tragic issues we address.

by Rev. Owen Christianson

Thank you to Wheat Ridge Ministries and Bethlehem Lutheran Church of Minneapolis for supporting the Wise as Serpents Alliance Project.

In 2002 our organization changed its name to Adults Saving Kids. Prior to that we were called A-STOP (Alliance for Speaking Truths On Prostitution), STOP (Speaking Truths On Prostitution), or Grassroots Ministry Alliance.