About ECPAT-USA

ECPAT-USA is the leading anti-trafficking policy organization in the United States. ECPAT-USA belongs to an international network of organizations in 75 countries, all working to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

For the past two decades ECPAT-USA has been at the forefront of the fight to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children. It goes to the source of the problem by fighting for new and improved laws, encouraging the private sector to do its part, and raising awareness among those who may be in a position to identify a child who is being commercially sexually exploited.

Fighting to abolish the commercial sexual exploitation of children is a complex challenge. The criminals who exploit children for commercial gain use sophisticated methods that are changing all the time. They know how to entice children and then keep them in the shadows to be sold for sex. ECPAT-USA and its team of staff, board members, and volunteers work tirelessly to fight this inhumane and criminal activity at the source.

The Vision

A world in which no child is bought, sold, or used for sex.

The Mission

To protect every child’s basic human right to grow up free from the threat of sexual exploitation and trafficking.

ECPAT-USA does this in four primary ways:

1. ECPAT-USA advocates for federal and state legislation that prevents exploitation, protects children, and guarantees that any child who is subjected to sexual slavery or sex trafficking will not be prosecuted in the courts for prostitution;
2. ECPAT-USA promotes corporate responsibility among private companies with a strong focus on the tourism sector.
3. ECPAT-USA educates first responders and ordinary citizens about this issue so that they can identify victims and join us in the fight to better protect children.
4. ECPAT-USA empowers youth to take the lead against human trafficking by equipping them with the knowledge and tools necessary to help them become activists against this terrible trade.

Disturbing Statistics

• Globally, profits obtained from the use of forced labor are estimated at $150 billion per year; about $99 billion from commercial sexual exploitation (Source: “Profits and Poverty: The economics of forced labour,” International Labour Organization, 2014).
• At least 100,000 children in the U.S. are commercially sexually exploited (Source: Testimony of Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing and Exploited children, at the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives, September 15, 2010).
• As many as 300,000 children are at risk of commercial sexual exploitation (Source: Estes, Richard J. and Neil Alan Weiner, “The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in the U. S., Canada and Mexico,” University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, 2001).
• Children as young as 12 years old are trafficked for sexual exploitation (Source: Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General, “The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Efforts to Combat Crimes Against Children” Audit Report 09-08, January 2009).
• There are fewer than 250 shelter beds for commercially sexually exploited children in the U.S. (Source: ECPAT-USA, Shared Hope International and the Protection Project of Johns Hopkins University, “Colloquium Report: An Inventory and Evaluation of the Current Shelter and Services Response to Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking,” 2012).
• Most states’ laws allow children to be arrested for prostitution, even children below the age of consent (Source: Institute of Medicine and National Research Council, “Confronting Commercial Sexual Exploitation and Sex Trafficking of Minors in the United States,” 2013).
• Almost 4,000 children in New York City were found to be sexually exploited, 50% were boys (Source: Ric Curtis, et al., “The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in New York City,” The Center for Court Innovation, New York City, 2008).
• 45% of child commercial sexual exploitation victims in New York City were exploited in hotels (Source: Ric Curtis, et al., “The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in New York City”,The Center for Court Innovation, New York City, 2008).
• Over the last 15 years, there were more than 1.9 million reports involving suspected child abuse imagery (child pornography) made to the National Center on Missing and Exploited Children (Source: U.S. Department of Justice, “The National Strategy for Child Exploitation Prevention and Interdiction. A Report to Congress,” August 2010).

What Individuals Can Do

If you wish to join the fight against the commercial sexual exploitation of children, there is so much you can do.

• Make a donation – ECPAT-USA relies on the support of individuals to end child slavery at the source. All donations are tax deductible to the full extent of the law. Click here to donate today.
• Sign up for the ECPAT-USA mailing list – We want to keep you informed. Sign up here and get our mailing list with all of the latest information about our effort to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

What Corporations Can Do

If you work for a company in the tourism, hospitality, conference/meeting industry, or a company that has a large traveling base, then you are in a position to help end the commercial sexual exploitation of children.

Companies that are in the travel, tourism, hospitality, or conferencing/meeting sectors can do so much to end this scourge, including:

• Signing the Code of Conduct. When your company signs The Code it makes a commitment to do what it can to put an end to the commercial sexual exploitation of children.
• Hiring ECPAT-USA for training. No matter what industry you are in, we will train company staff to identify possible victims and to follow proper protocol in notifying the authorities.
• Donating to ECPAT-USA so that we can keep up the fight to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children at the source.

To learn more about The Code, corporate training sessions, and other ways you can help protect children, please contact Michelle Guelbart, Director of Private Sector Engagement, michelle@ecpatusa.org or 718-935-9192.

Please do your part, it’s a sickening issue.

Best,

Veronique