Six posters of missing children from the metro area — five girls and one boy — were tacked to the wall of the Jantzen Beach hotel banquet room, a silent reminder of why more than 500 participants from 10 states had gathered Saturday.

One of three missing teens who ends up on the streets will be lured or forced into prostitution within 48 hours, according to national estimates. The annual Northwest Conference Against Human Trafficking hoped to bring a sense of urgency to the problem and capitalize on a recent local and national push to fight domestic human trafficking.

Oregon, advocates and law enforcement officials say, is a growing hub for forced prostitution and servitude. Just last week, a Portland man was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court on suspicion of prostituting a 14-year-old relative.

Still, many Americans believe human trafficking to be an international phenomenon.

“I, like so many others, thought that trafficking was a problem that plagued other countries like Thailand and India, but was oblivious to what was happening right here in our backyard,” said Multnomah County Commissioner Diane McKeel, who is spearheading the county’s efforts to combat human trafficking and open a shelter for sexual trafficking victims.

Portland has become a center for human trafficking for several reasons, said Keith Bickford, a Multnomah County sheriff’s detective who heads the Oregon Human Trafficking Task Force.

The city’s proximity to Interstates 5 and 84 as well as two rivers is attractive to traffickers, as is lax sexual trafficking enforcement laws, a legal sex industry, a large population of street kids and Oregon’s dependence on seasonal farmworkers, Bickford said.

Yet, the state keeps no data on victims of sexual trafficking, Bickford said, making it difficult to accurately assess the depth of the problem and get adequate resources.

About 300,000 American youths are trafficked for sexual exploitation, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. During a one-night national sting involving 29 cities last February, law enforcement officers picked up seven underage girls involved in prostitution in Portland — more than any other city besides Seattle. They also picked up six adult pimps in Portland and cited 14 adult prostitutes.

Still, many at the conference said a collective national denial of the issue remains.

“What we’re about in the U.S., we’re willing to jump out there and save the world but we won’t look under our own rocks because it’s embarrassing,” Bickford said after giving a presentation on the work he’s doing with the task force.

Multnomah County has hundreds of human trafficking cases involving both people born in the United States and immigrants often brought or coerced here from other countries. His caseload is divided equally between those trafficked for sexual exploitation (mostly people from the U.S.) and those trafficked for labor (mostly immigrants), he said.

Other speakers at the conference said public officials are starting to take notice of the long-hidden crime.

Last month, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., introduced a bill along with Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to help victims of sexual trafficking and provide more enforcement power against traffickers. The bill would fund pilot projects in six states to establish shelters for victims and provide counseling, legal aid, education and job training, as well as fund additional police officers and prosecutors.

“I want to see us start a national mobilization,” Wyden said after giving a brief speech about his bill. “It’s fair to say that in the past there’s been the sense that Oregon is not the kind of place you would see this. There’s no denial now and people are ready to go.”

A shelter to help victims escape exploitation is the greatest need in Portland, said Esther Nelson of the Sexual Assault Resource Center. The lack of a safe place makes it difficult to help people, she said, and impedes law enforcement efforts because victims often disappear.

Multnomah County and Portland officials have committed to finding money to open a shelter here, though they have no time line.

“We can’t do much more without a shelter,” Nelson said.

Throughout the year, ywca clark county offers a variety of events and workshops that provide opportunities to support your community.
Our events provide educational, awareness and fundraising opportunities. Program specific workshops engage the community and focus on education and advocacy. Learn more about our workshops at individual program pages or by viewing them on our calendar.

Benefit Luncheon – September 7, 2011

The ywca annual benefit luncheon is a popular event that spotlights our programs and mission, showcases powerful testimony, and engages our community on a deeper level.

Join us Wednesday, September 7th at the Hilton Vancouver and listen to inspirational speaker and author Erin Merryn as she shares her personal story of survival and triumph and provides enlightening perspectives on keeping children safer. Seats are $40 per person or $400 for a table of 10. Click here to register online!

Presenting sponsors

Table hosts support ywca by inviting 9 guests to join them at a table during the luncheon. Table hosts receive a book authored by the speaker and a table identified in the name of their choosing. If you’re interested in being a table host, please contact us at luncheon@ywcaclarkcounty.org or by calling 360 906 9153.

Erin is the author of Stolen Innocence and Living for Today. A leading participant in Take Back the Night, her goal is to raise awareness of abuse in order to end the stigma of silence. Since 2004, she has been speaking at national conferences, community events, children’s advocacy centers, colleges, and high schools. Erin has been instrumental in getting Erin’s Law passed, which requires school boards to adopt age appropriate curriculum on sexual abuse education for students pre-k through 5th grade. Erin efforts have not gone unnoticed. She’s been featured in a variety of media, including Time Magazine, the Chicago Tribune and on Oprah. Visit Erin’s website at www.erinmerryn.net.

Thank you to the following sponsors, who’ve made this year’s event possible: ADCO Commercial Printing and Graphics, Columbia Credit Union, The Columbian, Corwin Beverage Company, Home Instead Senior Care, IQ Credit Union, Lee & Connie Kearney, Miller Nash, LLP, Providence Health and Services, Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt, Tidewater Barge Lines, US Bancorp, Vancouver Business Journal, The Vancouver Clinic

For additional information on the 2011 Benefit Luncheon e-mail luncheon@ywcaclarkcounty.org or call 360 906 9153.

August 07, 2011
By Sanne Specht
Mail Tribune

Local experts played a key role in rewriting a bill introduced by State Rep. Sal Esquivel, R-Medford, which originally was viewed with alarm by those who work to protect children.

The bill, recently signed into law and designed to discourage punitive or vindictive reporting of child abuse, underwent significant changes as it made its way to the governor’s desk. The changes were necessary to protect children and to assure the public that reporting suspected abuse is not only the right thing to do, it is safe for them to do so, experts say.

“This bill started out as a major disaster and a blow to child victims. But it has been reduced and narrowed to a much less harmful form,” said Ashland resident Randy Ellison, an adult survivor of child sexual abuse and board president of Oregon Advocates and Survivors in Service.

House Bill 2183, which was signed into law by Gov. John Kitzhaber in July, makes it a violation — punishable by a $720 maximum fine — to knowingly make false allegations of child abuse to police or the Department of Human Services. The state must prove that the intent of the false report is to influence child custody, visitation or child support, Ellison said.

One of the bill’s main targets was adults who use malicious allegations of abuse in bitter divorce or child custody cases, said Esquivel.

“People getting divorced can make ugly accusations,” Esquivel said. “It happens more often than you might think.”

When Esquivel and House Judiciary Co-chairman Wayne Kreiger, R-Gold Beach, initially presented their bill before the House, the proposed fine was $6,250 and the violator faced a misdemeanor criminal charge which could have resulted in jail time.

The changes are a relief to child abuse experts who said Esquivel’s bill, as written, would have had a chilling effect on a crime that is already under-reported.

Ellison testified in Salem against the proposed legislation, along with representatives from the Oregon District Attorneys Association, the Oregon Network of Child Abuse Intervention Centers, the Oregon School Employees Association, Children First and the Child Advocacy Section of the Oregon Department of Justice.

Ellison said he remains concerned the new law will be misinterpreted by the public, which could have a quelling effect on everyone from teachers to neighbors to relatives who might suspect child abuse, and be afraid to report due to misunderstandings.

The law does not punish those who might make a false reports based on honest mistakes. Only those that are due to malicious intent, Esquivel said. It was never his intent to limit reporting of actual child abuse, or cause consternation amongst child welfare experts. He also does not oppose the changes that were made to his bill, Esquivel said.

Ellison said holding people accountable for false reports is appropriate. But there was already a law on the books that made it a crime to knowingly make a false report of any crime to the police or other agency. ORS 162.375 states that initiating a false report is a Class C misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,250 fine and 30 days in jail. Ellison questions the need for a new law that “pulls out that one type of false reporting and makes it a violation,” he said.

“They wanted to call attention to it,” Ellison said, adding he remains concerned about the potential fallout for mothers trying to protect their children from an abusive father.

“Basically this is a bill designed to protect husbands in divorce cases,” Ellison said. “This is a bill written by men for men.”

There could be unintended consequence of keeping children trapped in abusive situations because adults are fearful of making a report that, while true, might not be able to be proven, he said.

“If a woman is out and away from an abuser, it may be the first time ever she feels safe to report (her partner committed child abuse),” Ellison said. Esquivel’s bill had the support of at least one Oregon senator. According to news reports, Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, testified he was once the victim of a trumped-up claim of child abuse.

Ellison said he had sympathy and empathy for anyone victimized because of a false report of abuse. But statistics show child abuse is the most under-reported crime next to domestic abuse, he said.

People should not be worrying about being wrong when deciding to report or not, Ellison said. People need to report suspected abuse. If people are in doubt, they should err on the side of reporting, he said.

Esquivel said he encourages people to report child abuse.

“You won’t get in trouble unless you have malicious intent,” Esquivel said.

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or email sspecht@mailtribune.com.

Just when it seemed we were starting to “get it” on child sexual abuse, along comes a court trial that reminds us just how far we have to go. Last week in Jackson County, Circuit Judge Tim Barnack allowed a 10-year-old child to be revictimized.

First, the girl was repeatedly characterized as precocious and attention-starved. I have two granddaughters and I would describe both of them as precocious and they definitely seek adult attention. “Watch this, papa.” “Will you play with me, papa?” It takes a pretty sick mind to view this normal child behavior as an opening for sexual advance, much less use it as a defense in a court of law.

This next part is so unbelievable as to defy reason. Judge Tim Barnack allowed the bed the girl has stated she was abused on to be brought into court, and she is told to stand beside it and show what happened to her.

WHAT? I really want someone to say this didn’t really happen in Medford, Ore. But it did. The judge, the prosecutor, the defense attorney and observers all sat and watched a 10-year-old girl, holding her doll, stand next to the mattress as the defense attorney re-enacted her abuse in open court. Then the defense attorney described the 10-year-old child’s overt trauma as an “act” and says she has never been traumatized by anything in this case. Somebody needs to check this man for a pulse! This is far worse than reality TV; at least they have censors.

Is this really the standard we want for dealing with accusations of child abuse? When a child gets the strength to come forward and report alleged sexual abuse should they have to suffer having their character attacked and be made to publicly re-enact the abuse? I sincerely hope not. The system failed this little girl. You and I failed this little girl.

In the last decade we have finally woken up to the extent of sexual abuse and exploitation of our children and are doing something about it. Now it’s time to bring our legal system in line with our values. If we consider it morally wrong for adults to sexually abuse children, then why would it be OK for our courts to do so?

It happened once, shame on Judge Barnack and his court. If we allow it to happen again, then shame on us. This is our community and our court system. It should reflect our values and morals. If we don’t want our children to be revictimized after reporting abuse, then we, you and I, need to speak up with our voice and vote to see that it doesn’t happen again. Our judges are elected. In theory they enforce our laws, but they also have discretion. Let’s elect judges that use that discretion wisely.

Our laws are made by the state Legislature and enforced by our attorney general. We can contact Sen. Alan Bates and Attorney General John Kroger to make sure this is not allowed in the future and ask them to make sure it isn’t.

With 20 percent of our children suffering sexual abuse, we know we have done a lousy job of protecting them. Now that we are beginning to understand that fact and the impact of abuse, let’s take the next step. Let’s open our ears and hearts to the suffering these child victims are enduring and do what we can to ease their pain and the difficulty of reporting the abuse.

I know we can do better. For the sake of our children we must do better.

By Sanne Specht

An Oregon House bill passed earlier this month aimed at discouraging false reporting of child abuse would have a chilling effect on an area of crime that is already under-reported, child abuse experts say.

House Bill 2183 would make it a violation — punishable by a $720 maximum fine — to knowingly make false allegations of child abuse to police or the Department of Human Services.

“The intent is good. But the unintended consequences could be very dangerous for some children,” said Marlene Mish, executive director of the Children’s Advocacy Center.

Proponents of the bill include House Judiciary co-chairman Wayne Kreiger, R-Gold Beach, and Rep. Sal Esquivel, R-Medford.

The bill is designed to discourage adults from using malicious allegations of abuse in bitter divorce or child custody cases, supporters say.

Esquivel did not return phone calls to the Mail Tribune on Wednesday. Rep. Dennis Richardson, D-Central Point, said he did not promote the proposed legislation. But Richardson voted in favor of the bill on May 3, along with all 30 House Republicans and seven Democrats, in part because he has personal knowledge of a case in which a man was falsely accused of child abuse during a divorce, he said.

“This happens more frequently than we would want,” Richardson said.

Mish said holding people accountable for false reports is “a good thing.” But the bill could have the unintended consequence of keeping children trapped in abusive situations because adults are fearful of making a report that, while true, might not be able to be proven, she said.

“The message we don’t want to give is to dissuade people who need to do the right thing and report,” she said.

Ashland resident Randy Ellison is an adult survivor of child sexual abuse and board president of Oregon Association of Adult Sexual and Incest Survivors.

Ellison has been meeting with legislators, encouraging them to kill the bill in the House. Now that it has passed in the House, Ellison is hoping the bill will die in the Senate.

“We do not need people worrying about being wrong when deciding to report or not,” Ellison said. “We want people to report suspected abuse. If people are in doubt, we want them to err on the side of reporting.”

The bill has the support of at least one Oregon senator. According to news reports, Sen. Jeff Kruse, R-Roseburg, testified he was once the victim of a trumped-up claim of child abuse.

Ellison said he had sympathy and empathy for anyone victimized because of a false report of abuse. But statistics show child abuse is the most under-reported crime next to domestic abuse, he said.

“This is a pointless bill that harms the current trend in society of eradicating child abuse and is a slap in the face of every agency that works with child abuse,” Ellison said, adding there is already a law on the books that deals with false reporting.

ORS 162.375 states initiating a false report is a class C misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,250 fine and 30 days in jail.

Jackson County District Attorney Mark Huddleston said the proposed law is similar to the current statute, but focuses more on those who initiate false reports to DHS or a mandatory reporter with knowingly false intent.

Huddleston said his office has proceeded against adults for filing false reports under the ORS in only a few cases. Huddleston added he had not seen many cases he thought would be applicable under the proposed law.

Others who testified against the proposed legislation include the Oregon District Attorneys Association, the Oregon Network of Child Abuse Intervention Centers, the Oregon School Employees Association, Children First and the Child Advocacy Section of the Oregon Department of Justice, Ellison said.

Reach reporter Sanne Specht at 541-776-4497 or email sspecht@mailtribune.com.

For More Information
Klarissa Oh: (503) 274.1179

PORTLAND—OAASIS, Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service, announced today that it has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Ms. Foundation for Women as part of a groundbreaking effort to end child sexual abuse across the United States.

OAASIS is one of 15 grantees selected by the Ms. Foundation from among 250 submissions. Together, this new cohort of grantees was awarded a total of $600,000 in grants—a significant contribution to the field of child sexual abuse prevention.  The awardees—local, state and national groups based in 14 states across the country—include faith-based, arts, domestic violence and survivor-led groups as well as sexual assault coalitions and child abuse prevention organizations.

OAASIS is a grassroots organization made up of survivors and family members of survivors who are committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and empowering survivors of child sexual abuse through public awareness, education, and advocacy.  With the grant and support of the Ms. Foundation, OAASIS will expand their Survivors’ Speakers Bureau; organize a statewide conference to bring together child sexual abuse experts and survivors; conduct a survey on survivors and service providers to inform our policy goals, and continue to educate and engage the community in advocating for public policy that protects children.

Monique Hoeflinger, senior program officer at the Ms. Foundation for Women explains, “In awarding these funds, we are proud to support an emerging movement to end child sexual abuse that is taking root nationwide…these organizations are pursuing innovative strategies to engage families, communities and policymakers to end child sexual abuse once and for all.”

To learn more, please visit OAASIS’ website at www.oaasisoregon.org or call 503.274.1179.

###

For More Information
Klarissa Oh: (503) 274.1179

PORTLAND—OAASIS, Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service, announced today that it has been awarded a $20,000 grant from the Ms. Foundation for Women as part of a groundbreaking effort to end child sexual abuse across the United States.

OAASIS is one of 15 grantees selected by the Ms. Foundation from among 250 submissions. Together, this new cohort of grantees was awarded a total of $600,000 in grants—a significant contribution to the field of child sexual abuse prevention.  The awardees—local, state and national groups based in 14 states across the country—include faith-based, arts, domestic violence and survivor-led groups as well as sexual assault coalitions and child abuse prevention organizations.

OAASIS is a grassroots organization made up of survivors and family members of survivors who are committed to protecting children from sexual abuse and empowering survivors of child sexual abuse through public awareness, education, and advocacy.  With the grant and support of the Ms. Foundation, OAASIS will expand their Survivors’ Speakers Bureau; organize a statewide conference to bring together child sexual abuse experts and survivors; conduct a survey on survivors and service providers to inform our policy goals, and continue to educate and engage the community in advocating for public policy that protects children.

Monique Hoeflinger, senior program officer at the Ms. Foundation for Women explains, “In awarding these funds, we are proud to support an emerging movement to end child sexual abuse that is taking root nationwide…these organizations are pursuing innovative strategies to engage families, communities and policymakers to end child sexual abuse once and for all.”

To learn more, please visit OAASIS’ website at www.oaasisoregon.org or call 503.274.1179.

###

The intent of House Bill 3057 is to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations on felony sex crimes committed by an adult against a minor. Thirteen other states have no statute of limitations on this heinous crime. They treat it the same as murder, and if you are a survivor of such a crime, you understand why.

Studies have shown that most victims of sexual abuse don’t tell anyone what happened to them for years, if ever. Often, it’s only after years of therapy that they feel able to report what happened. One study states that the average age for reporting child sexual abuse is 42.

Under current law, 12 years after such a crime is first reported, or once the victim turns 30, society tells the perpetrator that what he or she did to a child is no longer important to us. And we tell the victim you were supposed to be able to deal with this sooner and since you didn’t, we’re sorry but we need to protect the rights of the abuser to come to trial sooner. Even though you most likely will suffer the rest of your life.

Opponents of changing the law say it’s not fair to eliminate the statute of limitations, because memories fade, witnesses die and an accused won’t be able to mount a defense. In criminal law, the prosecution bears the heavy burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the evidence is not available and strong, no prosecutor will bring charges.

Our prisons are full of survivors of child sexual abuse. Our alcohol and drug clinics are full of them. And our mental health facilities are full of them, too. What would our culture look like if we addressed the problem of child sexual abuse head on? What happens if survivors talk about what happened to them and gain access to their souls again? What if we stem the tide of new victims? Of the 50,000 new babies born in Oregon each year, we can expect 10,000 of them to be sexually abused before they turn 18. We can leave the system the way it is and create future dysfunctional adults every day, or we can say enough is enough. We have the opportunity to decide which future we want.

HB3057 is the equivalent of an emancipation proclamation to survivors of sexual abuse by taking the yoke of shame off victims and putting it where it belongs. Survivors will no longer be held responsible by society for the crimes committed against them.

Due to a combination of shame, fear and dissociation, I first told about my abuse when I was 57. Believe me when I say I didn’t “wait” to tell. Partially due to what is called the grooming process, I didn’t even comprehend that a crime had been committed against me by my minister, friend and mentor until I had been in therapy for several months.

We can have laws that support and protect our children, or ones that defend perpetrators. It’s time to make our laws match our values.

Randy Ellison of Ashland is president of Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service and a member of the Child Abuse Network in Medford.

BEND, Ore. — More than 500 community members gathered in Bend Wednesday afternoon to speak out against child sex abuse — and hold the biggest fund-raiser of the year for an organization that tackles the problem every day.

It was the third annual ‘Healing Hearts’ luncheon hosted by the KIDS Center at the Riverhouse Convention Center.

Guests heard from speaker — and sex abuse survivor — Randy Ellison about his experience, and what he now calls his mission.

“I was abused by my minister as a teenager and it went on for several years,” Ellison said. “Then I kind of buried it away and went on with my life — got heavily involved in alcohol, drugs, those distortions.”"I wasn’t the kind of husband I would have liked to have been, the father I would have liked to been. You bury something that major, it distorts everything in your life,” Ellison added.

Volunteers and workers at the KIDS Center were busy counting pledge cards well into the day. In the past, the event has raised more than $50,000 for the KIDS (Kids Intervention and Diagnostic Service) Center, which is a 21 Cares for Kids partner.

The non-profit is not funded by the government and gets only a small portion of its budget from the state, so most of it is from community outreach, like Wednesday’s event.Just this year, the KIDS Center has already seen nearly 500 kids come through its doors in need of medical evaluations and therapy.

The intent of House Bill 3057 is to eliminate the criminal statute of limitations on felony sex crimes committed by an adult against a minor. Thirteen other states have no statute of limitations on this heinous crime. They treat it the same as murder, and if you are a survivor of such a crime, you understand why.

Studies have shown that most victims of sexual abuse don’t tell anyone what happened to them for years, if ever. Often, it’s only after years of therapy that they feel able to report what happened. One study states that the average age for reporting child sexual abuse is 42.

Under current law, 12 years after such a crime is first reported, or once the victim turns 30, society tells the perpetrator that what he or she did to a child is no longer important to us. And we tell the victim you were supposed to be able to deal with this sooner and since you didn’t, we’re sorry but we need to protect the rights of the abuser to come to trial sooner. Even though you most likely will suffer the rest of your life.

Opponents of changing the law say it’s not fair to eliminate the statute of limitations, because memories fade, witnesses die and an accused won’t be able to mount a defense. In criminal law, the prosecution bears the heavy burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If the evidence is not available and strong, no prosecutor will bring charges.

Our prisons are full of survivors of child sexual abuse. Our alcohol and drug clinics are full of them. And our mental health facilities are full of them, too. What would our culture look like if we addressed the problem of child sexual abuse head on? What happens if survivors talk about what happened to them and gain access to their souls again? What if we stem the tide of new victims? Of the 50,000 new babies born in Oregon each year, we can expect 10,000 of them to be sexually abused before they turn 18. We can leave the system the way it is and create future dysfunctional adults every day, or we can say enough is enough. We have the opportunity to decide which future we want.

HB3057 is the equivalent of an emancipation proclamation to survivors of sexual abuse by taking the yoke of shame off victims and putting it where it belongs. Survivors will no longer be held responsible by society for the crimes committed against them.

Due to a combination of shame, fear and dissociation, I first told about my abuse when I was 57. Believe me when I say I didn’t “wait” to tell. Partially due to what is called the grooming process, I didn’t even comprehend that a crime had been committed against me by my minister, friend and mentor until I had been in therapy for several months.

We can have laws that support and protect our children, or ones that defend perpetrators. It’s time to make our laws match our values.

Randy Ellison of Ashland is president of Oregon Abuse Advocates and Survivors in Service and a member of the Child Abuse Network in Medford.