New York

GoTryke is about movement. Sometimes, movements occur within. We praise a new law that was passed and signed by New York Governor David Paterson this week that protects the rights of children. This law was passed due to many years of advocacy by community and state-funded groups including GEMs, a non-profit that provides transitional services for girls ages 12 to 21 who are at risk for or involved in sexual exploitation and violence.

A word from GEMs:
Dear All:
I am proud and thrilled to announce that after four years of advocacy, Governor Paterson signed The Safe Harbor Act for Exploited Children into law today, a landmark piece of legislation that provides sexually exploited children under the age of 16 with comprehensive services in lieu of prosecution and incarceration and recognizes children under the age of 18 in the commercial sex industry as victims of commercial sexual exploitation. This law also recognizes children in this situation to be victims of trafficking, the same as their foreign counterparts, which designates an historic paradigm shift by defining children coerced into the sex trade as victims instead of criminals. The bill is the first of its kind in the nation and sends a strong message to the rest of the nation that New York State, as the first state to pass such legislation, views the commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking of children has a heinous crime against children, not one that is committed by them;

I want to thank Governor Paterson for his decision to sign the bill into law, and thank Assemblyman William Scarborough, Senator Dale Volker and all of their staff for championing this bill. This bill has happened due to the advocacy efforts, legal expertise and hard work of the Juvenile Justice Coalition at the Correctional Association of New York, specifically Margaret Loftus and Mishi Faruqee, and the Legal Aid Society- Juvenile Rights Division, specifically Cait Mullen who drafted the original bill and has been such a strong advocate for the last four years. I’d also like to thank all the staff at GEMS for their hard work and advocacy efforts over the years, the media outlets that helped raise awareness, particularly The New York Times for its vocal support of the bill, and all the organizations that have advocated for its passage including, Equality Now, Sanctuary for Families, NOW NYC, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, and many, many others. In addition, thank you to all of the individuals, too numerous to name, that have voiced their support in so many ways and sent a clear message, first to the Legislature and then to the Governor that there was real support throughout the state, and throughout the nation, for the victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

Most importantly however, I want to thank and honor the young women and girls from GEMS. For the last four years, youth survivors from GEMS have traveled up to Albany to advocate for their peers, speak with legislators and present at the nation’s first youth-led legislative briefings on the issue. In addition, they have testified at City Council hearings, participated in our three Annual End Commercial Sexual Exploitation Days and shared their stories with the media all for the goal of passing the much-needed Safe Harbor Act.

The advocacy for the bill has been an incredibly important lesson for the girls and young women at GEMS who have felt the most extreme forms of powerlessness. They have used their voices, their power, to work to change the status quo, to make New York State a better place for their peers. Today’s historic passage has taught them that these efforts have not been in vain, that there were supporters and allies who saw and heard their pain, that what happened to them did matter and that they were just as much victims as children from the Ukraine or Thailand.

It has been their voices, their courage, their resilience and their leadership that has led us to this historic moment, wherein the Safe Harbor for Exploited Youth Act has been signed into law. Their commitment to this fight, to changing not just the law, but public perception will have implications for children and youth in New York and beyond and will ensure that their peers receive the services and support they so rightfully deserve.

Thank you to everyone for your support!!
Please continue to support our work at http://www.gems-girls.org/donation.html

Sincerely
Rachel Lloyd
Founder/Executive Director
GEMS

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