New alliance formed to address domestic child sex trafficking

The Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse at The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the bipartisan Advisory Council on Child Trafficking (ACCT) announce a new, formal alliance, building on the May 2013 symposium highlighting the need for more rigorous research addressing domestic child sex trafficking. The symposium was part of a White House initiative that was announced by President Barack Obama at the 2012 Clinton Global Initiative. Findings from the symposium will inform the first order of business for the new alliance: a white paper detailing the ground-breaking work of leading researchers, policymakers and advocates. The purpose of the forthcoming white paper and the new alliance is to chart an informed path forward for those working to end child sex trafficking in the United States.

Dean Michael Klag, Bloomberg School of Public Health - "The Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is proud to have welcomed luminaries to our campus for this unique and powerful symposium. We believe that the new collaboration of the Moore Center and ACCT is an exciting outgrowth of that important event. The issue of domestic child sex trafficking, and child sexual abuse more broadly, continues to generate headlines and capture attention, making careful, rigorous approaches to the prevention and treatment work essential to ensure children's well-being."

The Moore Center/ACCT alliance was announced at the November 20 "Women Rule: Driving the Conversation" event sponsored by POLITICO and headlined by U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power. The event was centered on the issue of sex trafficking globally and in the United States. Moore Center Director Elizabeth J. Letourneau, PhD, was a featured speaker and described the new partnership in her remarks.

Steven G. Moore, MD, Founding Donor, The Moore Center - "The Moore Center is a leading research institute for the prevention of child sexual abuse and the ACCT founders understand the importance of such research. With Elizabeth Letourneau's leadership at the Moore Center, we are proud to partner with ACCT to continue to connect research with policy solutions and continue to highlight the issue in our society. In particular, we aim to address the primary prevention of child sexual exploitation within the broader context of preventing child sexual abuse."

Allison Abner, Co-Founder, Advisory Council on Child Trafficking - "With a focused, coordinated effort across disciplines, we can prevent child sexual exploitation. This new partnership will enable us to identify the most effective strategies for reducing demand, for intervening and treating the victims, and for recognizing at-risk children before they are sexually exploited."

The first project of the alliance will be the publication and release of a comprehensive white paper synthesizing the findings of the May 2013 two-day symposium. The paper, which will be released in early 2014 at an event in Washington, D.C., will incorporate findings on prevention and mental health, along with international research lessons for domestic efforts, law enforcement best practices, and the role of technology in preventing child sexual exploitation. It will also summarize research gaps that were identified at the symposium and areas for attention in the future. The Annie E. Casey Foundation will sponsor the highly anticipated publication.

As a leading international authority on public health, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is dedicated to protecting health and saving lives. Every day, the Bloomberg School works to keep millions safe from illness and injury by pioneering new research, deploying its knowledge and expertise in the field, and educating tomorrow's scientists and practitioners in the global defense of human life. Founded in 1916 as part of the Johns Hopkins University, the Bloomberg School of Public Health is the world's oldest and largest independent school of public health. @JohnsHopkinsSPH

The fundamental mission of Moore Center for the Prevention of Child Sexual Abuse is to move the public toward adoption of a comprehensive public health policy that focuses significant resources on the primary prevention of child sexual abuse. The Center will achieve this goal through research, education, communication, advocacy and policy activities. @MooreCenter