Who We Are

ECPAT-USA (Ending Child Prostitution and Trafficking) protects children from commercial sexual exploitation. We undertake research, training, awareness raising, policy development and advocacy to protect:

Children who are sexually exploited by Americans who travel abroad;
Children who are trafficked to the United States from other countries; and
American children who are trafficked and exploited within their own country.

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. Our mission is to ensure that children everywhere enjoy their fundamental rights, free from all forms of commercial sexual exploitation.

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. We also 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 the 2010 earthquake, the effects of which still constitute a humanitarian crisis and the recovery effort is still ongoing.

HOW WE GOT OUR START

ECPAT was created in 1991 by a group of NGO workers and other concerned individuals in Asia as the campaign to End Child Prostitution in Asian Tourism. By 1996, the sexual exploitation of children had exploded into an international crisis, so ECPAT widened its scope of work beyond sex tourism to encompass child pornography and the trafficking/prostituting of children for sexual purposes within all countries. ECPAT International has 80 groups in over 70 countries, including the U.S., where we are a 501(c)(3) non=profit organization.

EXPLOITATION IN THE UNITED STATES

The sexual exploitation of children is a serious problem in the United States with nearly 300,000 children at risk nationwide. Since 1991, ECPAT-USA has led the charge to protect two types of children:

Those being trafficked to the United States from other countries; and
Those being abused abroad by American sex tourists

In recent years, our focus has expanded to include the prevention and protection of American children exploited within the United States, meaning American children being exploited right here, in our own country.

Learn about our projects

OUR STAFF

Carol Smolenski, Executive Director, csmolenski@ecpatusa.org

Max Mayer, Associate Director, mmayer@ecpatusa.org

Amaya Renobales, Protect Children in Tourism Project Director, arenobales@ecpatusa.org

Michelle Guelbart, Private Sector Project Coordinator, michelle@ecpatusa.org

Marina Colby, Director, Public Policy and Government Relations, mcolby@ecpatusa.org

OUR BOARD OF ADVISORS

Victoria Gutowski, Travel and Tourism Advisor

Ambassador Mark Lagon, Child Trafficking Advisor

Jonathan Todres, Child Rights Advisor

Brian Willis, Health Advisor