Dear WestCoast Community:

We congratulate Governor Brown on Friday’s historic action: For the first time, the California state budget includes dedicated funding to serve and protect child sex trafficking victims through the child welfare system.

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Dear WestCoast Community:

Today the Oakland Tribune published an op-ed co-authored by WestCoast’s Executive Director, Stacey Katz, and the Director of Alameda County Social Services, Lori Cox.

Help us spread the word: Post the article on Facebook and Twitter with #CAstopCSEC, or forward this email to a friend.

Dear WestCoast Community:

The Legislature recently voted to invest $20.3 million in State funding to protect and serve commercially sexually exploited children through California’s child welfare system. Now we need your help to make sure Governor Brown approves these funds in the 2014-15 State Budget. The final budget will be determined in the coming days. 

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Dear WestCoast Community,

On April 17, we hosted a symposium to surface some of the key dilemmas we face in adequately serving exploited youth, We Can Do Better: Improving our response to child sex trafficking in Alameda County. The panel and subsequent discussion is meant to guide our collective efforts towards improving the system for youth. To learn more about the symposium, please read this article in the Chronicle of Social Change.

You can take action right now to improve services for sexually exploited youth. Click here to learn more about current legislative proposals, and how to support them.

We extend our thanks to the sponsors who supported the symposium, Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, Zellerbach Family Foundation, andGirls Rights Project. We are also grateful to our panelists, who represent a range of organizations and systems that work with trafficked youth: Continue reading →

Dear WestCoast Community,

The federal Farm Bill, currently under negotiation in Congress, is about more than just corn subsidies—it also contains a program critical to the healthy development of low-income children: Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). SNAP, also known as food stamps, helps feed children and families living in poverty. Continue reading →

Dear WestCoast Community,

According to national news reports last week, the FBI rescued 105 victims from commercial sexual exploitation in 76 cities throughout the country. But what happens to victims after they are recovered? Some are returned to their families or foster care placements. The Chronicle of Social Change delved deeper to report that others are not treated like victims at all: Some Trafficking Victims ‘Rescued’ by the FBI Have Been Arrested.  Continue reading →

Dear WestCoast Community,

As awareness grows in Oakland and beyond about the commercial sexual exploitation of children, WestCoast is at the forefront, providing crucial expertise about the problem and ways we can address it. In an article published by Oakland Local today, WestCoast’s Director of Research and Evaluation, Dr. Danna Basson, shared our research on the trauma and impact of sexual exploitation on our clients as we reported last year in Research-to-Action: Sexually Exploited Minors Needs and Strengths. Continue reading →

Dear WestCoast Community,

The California Child Welfare Council made a landmark decision yesterday. The Council unanimously voted to take the immediate action needed to improve protection and services for commercially sexually exploited youth. Continue reading →

Dear WestCoast Community,

As part of our continued efforts to advocate for an improved statewide response to the commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in California, WestCoast participated in a California Senate Committee on Human Services Hearing this past Tuesday. The hearing brought together leaders from the multiple systems that serve CSEC to educate policymakers on the complexities and challenges of protecting and serving sexually exploited youth.  Continue reading →