Help us get homeless kids off the streets.

Your action on Change showed sex trafficking victims that they are not alone. In fact, they have an important new ally.

Some experts estimate that every year, 100,000 children — many of whom are homeless — are forced into prostitution in the United States. They have lived through unspeakable pain, and have nowhere and no one else.

But they do have Covenant House… and now they have you.

At Covenant House, we provide vital shelter and lifesaving support to every kid who shows up on our doorstep. Working in 27 cities across 6 countries, we reach tens of thousands of kids in need every year by getting them off the streets and into the safety of our shelters.

How we reach homeless kids

Raising
community
awareness

Searching for
kids in the most
dangerous parts
of town

Creating change
at the local, state
& federal levels

Visiting schools
to promote
prevention

36,154 kids were saved last year.

Just like you, we believe that every kid deserves a safe place to live and the support and resources to build a future of love, hope and success — no matter who they are, where they’re from or what they’ve been through.

In the coming months, our kids are going to need your support. Whether it’s helping to get legislation passed or making sure we’re prepared for extreme weather and other emergency situations, you can protect vulnerable kids by ensuring they have a safe place to sleep… and people who believe in them and will always fight for them.

Please make sure you’re following us on social media to get all of our updates.

Together, we’ll give these kids the futures they deserve.

Thank you,

Kevin Ryan
President

Covenant House | 461 8th Ave. New York, NY 10001 | (800) 388-3888 | covenanthouse.org
We are a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization

Response from DA Fred Bright

April Childs
Watkinsville, GA
Jan 26, 2015 — Here is the response from DA Fred Bright concerning this case.

“We fully recognize that the 14-year-old child involved is a victim. Our office does not arrest individuals and was not consulted about the case initially. From the time we first received this file, we expected no active prosecution against her and our only goal has been to obtain counseling, treatment, care, and protection, which she is now receiving. On December 1, 2014, we, along with the child and her lawyer requested, and the Juvenile Court Judge agreed and signed an order to hold her case in abeyance. That order means that her case is automatically dismissed upon successful completion of treatment, counseling, and care. These services will hopefully rehabilitate her so that she can get the help she needs.

We have reviewed the matter and met with the law enforcement officers from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Eatonton Police Department who conducted the investigation. The State is prosecuting the adult defendants for statutory rape and related charges when appropriate. The cases against the adult offenders are expected to be presented to the next Grand Jury in Putnam County scheduled for March, 2015 for indictment. We hope these prosecutions will protect her and other youth of our communities in the future.

Yesterday, I spoke to the Attorney General and his specialist in Human Trafficking, who will be helping us with this prosecution. They applauded our efforts and told me, “you’re doing all you can.” We look forward to working with them to bring justice to this case.”

While this is great news for this specific case, it has made me aware of the greater issues of the possibility of this happening in other parts of Georgia due to gaps in victim protections in the law, as well as media presentation of human trafficking cases. I will continue to educate and advocate in those areas so that Georgia can continue to improve its treatment of victims of child sexual exploitation. Thank you all so much for your support in this issue, and good luck to those of you facing similar issues in your own states.

NO MORE

Friend,

It’s only been a couple days since we shared the exciting news that a new NO MORE PSA is running during the Super Bowl this Su‌nday, and there’s already been a huge positive response.

“How can I help?”

This is probably the question YOU’RE going to get while you’re watching the game on Sunday, so we thought we’d send along a few quick tips to help you speak up about these issues and provide you with ways you can help loved ones affected by domestic violence or sexual assault.

Tip #1. Start a conversation by telling your friends that 1 in 3 women and 1 in 7 men have experienced domestic violence, and 1 in 5 women and 1 in 16 men have experienced sexual assault at some point in their lifetime. This is a great way to get the point across that these issues are serious and that many people we love have been affected by domestic and sexual violence.

(If your friends want to read more about these statistics, you can point them here: Avon’s 2013 NO MORE Study.)

Tip #2. Speak up when you hear offensive comments that degrade women, men, or victims of abuse. Hey, it’s a Super Bowl party — there’s a good chance that someone is going to make some inappropriate remarks. The best thing you can do is speak up and tell them that you’re not comfortable with that kind of talk. Simply doing that can help your friends understand that it’s not cool for them or anyone to degrade a person.

Tip #3. If someone you know discloses that they are experiencing abuse now or have in the past, remember this could be the first time they’re telling someone. Reassure them that you believe them and that the abuse was not their fault. The most important thing you can do in this moment is listen and support them.

Most of all, make sure to be patient, non-judgmental, and respectful of their decisions. Ask them if they’d like to talk to a professional counselor, and offer to sit with them while they call a national or local hotline.

Tip #4. Make sure that your friends know whom to call to get help.

For immediate help, call 911
National Domestic Violence Hotline:
1-800-799-SAFE (7233)
National Sexual Assault Hotline:
1-800-656-HOPE (4673)
Teen Dating Violence Hotline:
1-866-3‌31-9‌474 or text “loveis” to 22522

The Super Bowl is a time for us all to get together and have a good time. And, when our ad is on the air, your friends and family are going to have questions about it. Make sure you’re ready to speak up so everyone you care about knows how important these issues are to you and your community.

We can’t thank you enough for saying #NOMORE to domestic violence and sexual assault by helping spread the word on Sun‌day.

Talk to you soon,

The NO MORE Team

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