Education & Advocacy

Creating lasting change

Learn more about the policy and legislation we're actively supporting,

Amplifying Voices Against Sexual Violence

Sexual violence—including human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault—is a complex issue. It’s difficult to understand the scope, size, and reach of it as it’s normalized and even celebrated by businesses, governments, and cultures.

Change happens by educating others as well as advocating for policy and supporting victims and laws to ultimately defeat sexual violence.

Policy Matters Because People Matter

Learn more about the policy and legislation we’re actively supporting.

The Equality Model

There is broad consensus that those who have been prostituted or trafficked should not be criminalized. The Equality Model prioritizes the rights of, promotes social services for, and the decriminalization of those who are prostituted or trafficked, while holding sex buyers and traffickers accountable for the harms they cause. 

We support the Equality Model as the most effective strategy to reduce prostitution, exploitation, and trafficking. The Equality Model protects and supports those being prostituted, while making our communities safer by holding sex buyers and traffickers accountable for their exploitive and illegal actions.

Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act

The EARN IT Act is bipartisan legislation encouraging the tech industry to take online child sexual exploitation seriously. The legislation will be introduced soon in the 2022 congressional session, in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

Highlights of the EARN IT Act include:

  • Creates a strong incentive for the tech industry to take online child sexual exploitation seriously. The bill removes blanket immunity from liability for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) currently enjoyed by internet service providers (ISPs). ISPs will be treated like everyone else when it comes to combating child sexual exploitation and eradicating CSAM, creating accountability.
  • Establishes a National Commission on Online Child Sexual Exploitation Prevention that will be responsible for developing best practices. The Commission consists of the heads of DOJ, DHS, and FTC, along with 16 other members appointed equally by Congressional leadership, including representatives from: law enforcement, survivors and victims’ services organizations, constitutional law experts, technical experts, and industry.
  • Recourse for survivors and tools for enforcement. The bill bolsters enforcement of child sexual abuse material statutes and allows survivors civil recourse.

The Frederick Douglass Trafficking Victims Prevention and Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA)

The TVPRA has been introduced as H.R. 5150 with bi-partisan support.  Originally passed in 2000 and reauthorized with strong bi-partisan support five times since then, TVPRA provides a comprehensive Federal framework to combat human trafficking, including sex trafficking, including enhanced law enforcement and community resources.

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Originally signed into law in 1994, The Violence Against Women Act supports comprehensive, effective law enforcement and community responses to domestic violence, sexual assault, dating violence and stalking.

VAWA programs are administered by US Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.

VAWA has been reauthorized and amended several times since 1994 and recently passed the House as HR 1620.  It is currently in the Senate, awaiting action.

State and Local Based Initiatives

Efforts are underway in both Oregon and Vermont to legalize all aspects of the commercial sex industry, including pimps, brothel owners and sex buyers.  Some of these are statewide, others are city ordinances.

In every instance, legalization efforts will create an increased demand in sex buyer, leading to more trafficking and exploitation and the inability to hold buyers and traffickers accountable for their actions.

The Equality Model gives communities a better option to protect and support those being prostituted and reduce crime and exploitation.