Dear Friends of ECPAT-USA,

As we have all worked to navigate through these unprecedented times, one thing has remained constant: my belief in the power of working together to overcome the most daunting challenges. Throughout this pandemic, our focus at ECPAT-USA has been how we can best offer support to youth, parents and educators while continuing our work to protect children from trafficking and exploitation. Today, as we celebrate the 30th anniversary of ECPAT International and Giving Tuesday Now, a global day of unity in response to the increased need caused by the COVID-19 outbreak, I’m proud to share with you the meaningful and crucial ways our innovative team is responding to this crisis.

While a virtual world can be a dangerous place for unsupervised children, the internet can also offer tremendous opportunities for innovation and education. ECPAT-USA has drawn upon our extensive work in the classroom and community by sharing online tools that keep our children safe. Last month, we launched a free, 30-minute training on identifying and responding to human trafficking for the hospitality industry. Offered in 17 languages, this interactive e-learning program was quickly endorsed by the City of Houston as the only one to meet its rigorous new hotel training requirements. Highlighting the increased risk of trafficking during crises, Houston recognized that hotels play a unique and pivotal role in the fight to end exploitation, and saluted ECPAT-USA as a critical partner in this fight.

ECPAT-USA's Y-ACT program also quickly moved from working inside a physical classroom to a virtual one with a no-nonsense guide to online safety. Teens and tweens found it useful, but we recognized that parents also needed more support in keeping their children safe. After seeking feedback from dozens of families across the nation, we are excited to share our free Parent Guide with you today. The guide includes information about some of the common online techniques used by exploiters, warning signs that may signal an unhealthy relationship or online exploitation, talking points to share with your children and, by near-unanimous parent request, a step-by-step guide on how to control privacy settings for common social media apps and interactive games. 

I encourage each of you to read and share these guides and take action by changing your privacy settings to help protect you and your family. Then, spread the word and encourage others to do the same by taking a photo with a sign that reads #ReadItSetIt and posting on social media using the hashtag #ReaditSetit.

During this time, we want to help ensure that safety not only means being free from exposure to COVID-19 - it also means being free from sexual exploitation. Thank you for your support of this vital campaign, and thank you to each of you for joining us in the fight to protect children. 

Sincerely,



Lori L. Cohen