Children

Sensitive Language Guide: The Buyer

— Technically, a john is someone who solicits sex. While relatively weak, it is not as confusing as the term ‘solicitor.’

— The term john, however, does not even begin to express the despicable nature of the crime with which it is associated.

— While lengthy, a more appropriately harsh term is ‘men who buy sex from young girls.’ This term encompasses the same ideas as the rest of the language surrounding this issue. Such a lengthy term is certainly not as catchy as ‘john,’ but it more accurately depicts the sleazy actions it describes.

Sensitive Language Guide: The Trafficker

— Unfortunately, our country associates a quasi-positive connotation to the word ‘pimp.’ For that reason, the word no longer carries the stigma and emotional impact once associated with sex criminals.

— ‘Trafficker’ is a much stronger word in modern context. This word implies force and money, and that’s exactly what message we need to deliver.

Return to Sensitive Language Guide

Sensitive Language Guide: The Big Picture

— These girls are victims of domestic child sex trafficking.

— This problem is domestic because we are focused on adolescent girls in the U.S., and the problem facing us here in the United States. While this is a much more widespread issue internationally in every culture affecting each gender, we are working to rid communities in the U.S. of those exploiting young girls.

Sensitive Language Guide: The Victim, The Survivor

— Underage girls forced into the sex trade are victims and survivors.

— Our niche of support focuses on adolescent girls. Although the term ‘children’ may sound more compelling, it addresses a much broader and more general group of victims. The victims and survivors we work to support and protect should be referred to as adolescent girls, underage girls or girl victims of domestic child trafficking, girls victimized by sex traffickers or girls forced into the sex trade.

Developing Language Sensitivity: ‘Domestic Sex Trafficking of Girls’

As we are gaining media traction and increasing congressional awareness of advocacy efforts to stop sex trafficking of young girls in the U.S., we are diligently working to shift language used by media, law enforcement and elected officials when addressing this issue. We continue to stress, for example, the need to refer to the young girls as victims and survivors, not prostitutes, and how critical it is to understand the bigger issue is domestic sex trafficking – not child prostitution.

Urge Your Lawmakers to Prevent the Trafficking of Minors!

Tell Your Representative and Your Senator to Support Legislation Aimed at Preventing the Sexual Exploitation of Minors.

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Girls in the U.S.

Spotlighting and Preventing a National Tragedy

The Initiative

Women’s funds have always been on the cutting-edge of social innovation, often times the first to create, support and promote the latest solutions to major social problems. The Atlanta Women’s Foundation, Minnesota Foundation for Women and New York Women’s Foundation, for example, are key partners and conveners of coalitions advancing public policy change and a system of care for sexually exploited girls in their communities.

Nothing Foreign About It: The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children in America

06/21/2010

Feministing: Kaffie McCullough, CSEC Program Manager at A Future. Not A Past., says runaway populations are particularly at risk of being trafficked, and warned about the use of social networking sites to target adolescent girls.

Read the full article here (offsite link)

The CIDRZ Foundation

In most of Africa, women are the poorest of the poor. Their health is often neglected until they are in crisis, unable to care for themselves or others. Even in childbirth, women are often left unattended. But through efforts of the CIDRZ Foundation, women's health in Africa is becoming a top priority, not just in treatment but also in research.

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