SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Sandré R. Swanson's (D-Oakland) legislation to address the rising tide of commercially sexually exploited youth in Alameda county was officially sent to the Governor’s desk for consideration yesterday.  AB 499 will provide a vital safety net for children under 18 who have been forced into prostitution, child pornography, or human trafficking. 

The bill had cleared the Senate on unanimous consent last week, returning to the Assembly floor yesterday for agreement on technical amendments. It passed 73-1.

“Children as young as 11 and 12 years old are being put out on the street for financial gain by sexual predators.  These children are not criminals, they are victims.  They come from all walks of life, from homeless and foster youth, to runaways from more affluent areas.  AB 499 rightly treats these children as victims of a sexual crime, and gives local law enforcement the tools they need to properly battle this growing epidemic,” Assemblymember Swanson stated.

Recent articles in major newspapers throughout the state have highlighted the growing problem of child prostitution.  The FBI also conducted a major sting operation throughout the country—code named “Operation Cross Country”—to break up child prostitution rings.  They reportedly apprehended 12 adults and rescued 4 children in Oakland recently.

“Unfortunately, commercially sexually exploited minors (SEMs) are currently arrested and processed through the criminal justice system as offenders. These youth do not receive the services necessary to protect them from harm, with the result that many repeatedly fall victim to the same predators upon release,” Swanson observed. 

Sponsors of the bill were quick to point out its potential impact on the lives of these minors, as well as the community as a whole.

Lieutenant Kevin Wiley oversees the Youth and Family Services Division at the Oakland Police Department.  “From a police perspective, the biggest problem is the issue of awareness.  These children are not just coming from Oakland, but from Walnut Creek and Pleasanton.  It is difficult for these communities to come to terms with the fact that they share this problem. AB 499 mandates training and education programs that will force communities to address this issue.  It brings everyone to the table, makes it everyone’s problem, and gives them the opportunity to solve the problem through education, training and awareness,” he said.

Sharmin Bock, head of the Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) unit at the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, added, “The commercial sexual exploitation of children is modern day slavery, reaching epidemic proportions in our country. AB 499 helps combat human trafficking by taking the important first step of recognizing that children who are sold for sex are victims, not criminals. In an effort to rescue and empower these victims, AB 499 provides these vulnerable children with previously unavailable but much needed resources, as well as programs designed for their specific experience. This cutting edge legislation deserves the Governor's signature.”

Specifically, AB 499 will:

• Increase coordination between local government, law enforcement agencies, and child advocates, by establishing a program of supervision for SEMs accused of prostitution offenses.
• Create a pilot program in the County of Alameda to implement a standardized training curriculum on the sexual exploitation of minors.
• Require that the training curriculum be established and made available to local law enforcement and criminal justice agencies.

“The commercial sexual exploitation of minors is becoming the new underground economy of the 21st century,” Assemblymember Swanson stated.  “More and more criminals are moving from the drug trade into the highly lucrative industry of human trafficking.  It is a moral imperative that we act quickly to rescue these children and track down the violent predators who are the true criminals.” 

The Governor has until September 30th to act on the bill.  Otherwise, the bill will automatically go into law.