Every Child is Too Valuable to be Bought and Sold!
MISSSEY (Motivating, Inspiring, Supporting, & Serving Sexually Exploited Youth)
When most people think about prostitution and human trafficking they think of far away underdeveloped lands. The truth is it is happening right here in our city. Oakland, CA has a huge problem with our young ladies being forced into this dangerous lifestyle.
"Every day some of the Bay Area’s most vulnerable youth are sexually exploited for other people's profit. They are bought and sold, beaten, drugged, hustled, molested, and raped. Ultimately, they are discarded when they no longer fetch a price. The number of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) is increasing, while the average age is decreasing. Further, these youth are often considered criminals, as if they're seeking to be abused, rather than victims of domestic human trafficking )”. Now there is place we can go to help these young ladies.
MISSSEY provides direct services to commercially sexually exploited youth. We also provide training, technical information, and workshops for social agencies, law enforcement, and members of the community.
IMPORTANT ARTICLE: 10 Things I Would Tell A Twelve-Year-Old Girl Who Was In “The Life”http://www.misssey.org/documents/10_Things.pdf
MISSSEY's Founding 6-Point Platform
Text from their main website. Ella Curry is not a member or sponsor; merely sharing information.
* We want Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC) and sexually exploited youth to be recognized as victims instead of criminals. CSEC are victims of child sexual abuse in the form of sexual exploitation, not child prostitutes.
* We want education and awareness to be brought to the issues surrounding CSEC. The commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth occurs in many forms including child prostitution.
* We want a comprehensive service model and crisis center to be established for CSEC. Commercially Sexually Exploited Children need and deserve specialized treatment, as well as non-judgmental, maternal, and innovative services provided by a youthful staff with relevant life experience.
* We want Commercially Sexually Exploited Children to be provided with services focusing on their healing and recovery. Creating a permanent record of a child's sexual exploitation through media or any other means further exploits the child.
* We want a national movement initiated that recognizes the issue of Commercially Sexually Exploited Children, which will require law enforcement, the juvenile justice system, and social services to respond to CSEC as victims instead of criminals. CSEC are victims of physical, mental, and psychological abuse as well as sexual abuse, and need protection regardless of their ability to cooperate.
* We believe that the sexual abuse and commercial sexual exploitation of children and youth are serious criminal offenses against a highly vulnerable population. We want serious consequences imposed on anyone who sexually abuses or commercially sexually exploits children, especially involving child or teen prostitution.
Please consider making donations of time and other resources to M.I.S.S.S.E.Y. Visit their website: http://www.misssey.org
