ECPAT-USA protects children from commercial sexual exploitation. We undertake research, training, awareness raising, policy development and advocacy to protect:
We are the leading policy organization in the United States and belong to an international network of organizations that have offices in 73 countries around the world.
We are not a direct service provider, which means we do not have beds or staff trained in counseling services. We do, however, conduct research, develop policy, advocate, and spread awareness. In addition, we train law enforcement, members of the hospitality industry, and members of the community at large to recognize the signs of child sex trafficking and how to properly respond to such situations. We promote the Code of Conduct as a means for the travel industry to work with law enforcement and prevent their services from aiding the exploitation of child victims. In large part to our successful Lend a Hand Campaign, we are able to fund the medical needs of specific individuals who have been identified as child victims of sex trafficking, as well as to monitor the border between Haiti and the Dominican Republic to mitigate the exploitation of the victims of last year’s earthquake.