Oregon schools may soon have a curriculum to help prevent child sex trafficking.
Senate Bill 473 cleared the education committee Tuesday. It would require K-12 school districts to develop programs to teach about, recognize, and report child sexual abuse and trafficking.
Among those testifying in favor of the legislation was Cheryl Csiky. Besides being the executive director of the Bend-based “In Our Backyard” anti-trafficking nonprofit, she herself is a trafficking survivor.
“There is a huge correlation between child sex abuse and human trafficking,” Csiky told lawmakers. “Polaris Project did a study between 2015 and 2020, and found that 84% of victim participants experienced sexual abuse at some point in their childhood.
“This is a life-saving bill and it does bring me joy and hope, because we do want to prevent this to any another child.”
If enacted, school districts would develop age-appropriate and culturally-sensitive materials for students, educators, and families.
The bill passed the education committee unanimously.
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