Just last week, a very important ballot initiative called
the CASE Act, qualified for the November 2012 ballot. The CASE Act stands for Californians Against
Sexual Exploitation Act. This law, if it
were to pass, would protect young girls and boys from being forced into human
slavery and sexual exploitation, creating harsh penalties for the evildoers who
take advantage of children.
When I was 16 years old, I was approached by a man who
wanted to exploit me, who propositioned me to sleep with men for money. I told him I was not about to do this kind of
thing and even though I dodged a bullet for a little while, the fact that I was
even propositioned was horrifying to me.
I was already an alcoholic teen and substance abuser at that time and I
remember that night I went home, I looked in the mirror and felt a hopelessness
and dark feeling come over me. I
remember saying to myself “is this really what it’s come to? If someone thinks I should be a prostitute, I must look like and be a terrible person.”
That day took away so much from me. It was as if someone had stolen away my dignity. From that day on, my self-esteem became lower and lower and the thought that someone believed I should be a teen prostitute, stayed on my mind and I never told anyone until I went into treatment years later. What this indecent proposal did to my inner dialogue was horrific. I used drugs over it, which lead me to further behavior that was to my near self-destruction. Because I never told anyone as a teen and lacked counseling, my secret grew in the dark. In my early 20’s I was again propositioned several times and by the time drugs and lack of good opportunity became the ill-conceived, self-rationalizing factor, I decided not to ask for help and give in to the pimps for a short while.
At the age of 22, I took drastic measures to put a stop to the people who tried to sexually exploit me by assisting to turn them in to the authorities. The CASE Act would help create preventative efforts to help law enforcement be trained to handle the sensitive issues that keep children in fear of their procurers and would get them into counseling early on. Sexual exploitation of children is a psychological and sometimes violet game that will haunt a child into adulthood and can make it impossible for a victim to have a normal relationship with a partner, if left untreated. It involves drug addiction, humiliation, degradation and the refusing of all rights a child has to a happy, healthy and natural childhood. Please join with me and support this very important initiative to help stop child sexual exploitation, The CASE Act.
That day took away so much from me. It was as if someone had stolen away my dignity. From that day on, my self-esteem became lower and lower and the thought that someone believed I should be a teen prostitute, stayed on my mind and I never told anyone until I went into treatment years later. What this indecent proposal did to my inner dialogue was horrific. I used drugs over it, which lead me to further behavior that was to my near self-destruction. Because I never told anyone as a teen and lacked counseling, my secret grew in the dark. In my early 20’s I was again propositioned several times and by the time drugs and lack of good opportunity became the ill-conceived, self-rationalizing factor, I decided not to ask for help and give in to the pimps for a short while.
At the age of 22, I took drastic measures to put a stop to the people who tried to sexually exploit me by assisting to turn them in to the authorities. The CASE Act would help create preventative efforts to help law enforcement be trained to handle the sensitive issues that keep children in fear of their procurers and would get them into counseling early on. Sexual exploitation of children is a psychological and sometimes violet game that will haunt a child into adulthood and can make it impossible for a victim to have a normal relationship with a partner, if left untreated. It involves drug addiction, humiliation, degradation and the refusing of all rights a child has to a happy, healthy and natural childhood. Please join with me and support this very important initiative to help stop child sexual exploitation, The CASE Act.
For more, please visit: www.caseact.org
