The Civil Rights Movement led to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, abolishing racial segregation in public facilities and making employment discrimination illegal.
The Women’s Suffrage Movement led to the 19th amendment, granting women the right to vote.
The Disabilities Rights Movement led to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, prohibiting discrimination against individuals with disabilities in employment, schools, and all places and services open to the general public.
History is full of examples of how concerned citizens changed society forever, when their grassroots efforts led to groundbreaking public policy.
Together, we can do it again.
NCOSE is dedicated to making your voices heard by lawmakers who develop public policy. We provide you with a platform through which you can call for needed legislation to combat and eventually end sexual abuse and exploitation.
Advocating for important public policy is a key pillar in any effective movement for social change. The decisions of public policy makers have wide-ranging, generational impact, shaping culture and influencing what is considered acceptable behavior for decades and even centuries to come.
However, policy makers are not usually aware of the extensive psychological, physical, spiritual, and emotional damage experienced by victims of sexual exploitation—especially because cases are typically handled at the local and state level.
Neither do they always understand what solutions are necessary to address the complex and multi-faceted issues of sexual abuse and exploitation. In fact, there is considerable risk that policy makers will be swayed by misleading lobbyist groups pushing false “solutions” that only lead to more harm.
We are at a critical juncture, where many big decisions will be made to either prevent sexual exploitation or perpetuate it:
- Will policy makers hold accountable those who buy sexual access to and exploit prostituted individuals? Or will they fully decriminalize pimping, sex buying, and brothel keeping, leading to increased sex trafficking, an expanded and normalized prostitution marketplace, and myriad other harms?
- Will policy makers require the tech industry to prioritize the safety of our children? Or will they further immunize them to any responsibility, allowing them to continue profiting off children’s suffering?
- Will policy makers address the loophole in federal law which allows pornographic content to be uploaded and distributed online without verifying the age and consent of the individuals depicted? Or will they allow image-based sexual abuse to continue proliferating, causing unbearable trauma to countless survivors?
TAKE ACTION! 3 Quick Ways You Can Make Your Voice Heard
Our nation’s policy makers need to hear from YOU!
Using the quick, easy action forms linked below, you can contact your legislators and call on them to pursue practical, effective policy solutions to prevent sexual exploitation!
1. Call on Congress to pass 5 crucial bills for online child protection
