Focus Areas

I recently read a comment from a child advocate that speaks to the core of why advocacy is such an important service for young survivors of sexual abuse in our communities: "I've been working for decades now with children who have experienced significant harm. Each of them expected nothing more or less from life than what they'd experienced." Ultimately, our goal in child advocacy is to help young people envision and pursue a life that is more than and different from the trauma they have…

After the 2019 legislative session, the Statute of Limitations (SOL) law was updated to eliminate the SOL for specific sexual assault crimes, and modify it for others. This law is not retroactive, meaning sexual assault crimes committed prior to this law’s effective date (July 28, 2019) cannot be prosecuted according to this new law. RCW…

This webinar is an introduction into the basics of Child Sexual Assault (CSA) Advocacy. Whether you have been working as a CSA advocate for years and are looking for a quick refresher or are a total beginner and these are your first steps into the field - this webinar is the perfect opportunity to dive into CSA Advocacy 101.

During the 2019 legislative session, legislation specific to the work of child sexual assault multi-disciplinary teams, or MDTs, was included. House Bill 5465: a law to direct multi-disciplinary teams to develop and implement protocols for online and commercial sexual exploitation was successfully passed. Included in this law is language clarification regarding information sharing between MDT…

In this training you will learn about the immigration system as it pertains to children. You'll learn about the current practices regarding detaining children at the Southern border and how these children end up living all over Washington state. You'll get a brief overview of the immigration court system in the United States.

Then, we will discuss various visas and other ways that child survivors of violence can obtain lawful status in the United States. Most importantly, we will…

This presentation is designed for sexual assault advocates who work with caregivers of children with a history of sexual abuse and who may be exhibiting sexual behavior problems.  The presentation will include information regarding typical sexual development, as well as how to distinguish typical sexual behavior from problematic sexual behavior for children ages 12 and younger.  Common misconceptions about children with sexual behavior problems will be dispelled.  This presentation will…

There is a great deal of information related to the responsibility of colleges and universities to protect students and address sexual violence on campus. This information can be overwhelming to advocates and survivors alike. As advocates, our role is to focus on empowerment and choice with survivors and to know where to find information and resources related to campus systems, rather than memorizing the depth of federal law and policy.

Advocacy & Confidentiality

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Attention to commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in the U.S. has increased significantly with passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) and its subsequent reauthorizations. Understandably, most of the focus of law enforcement, government, media, policy makers, service providers, researchers, and funders has been on commercial sexual exploitation of girls (CSEG).

Commercially sexually exploited boys (CSEB), on the other hand, who may be considered too few…

Shared Language

Commercial sexual exploitation of children, or human trafficking, is when a commercial sex act is exchanged for something of value with a minor, and/or when force, fraud, or coercion are present. The legal and cultural language around what we refer to as “commercial sexual exploitation” has evolved over time. We’ve shifted the use of our language to match our current understanding of the power dynamics, legalities, and the lived experience of young people that…

In this informational session, participants will gain:

• Understanding of the methods and types of exploitation.
• Knowledge of common red flags and risk factors of Commercial Sexual Exploitation
• Over view of the basic steps of response to CSEC (Reporting & Exit Process)