Advocacy Opportunities

Changing Systems to Protect Children

5WAVES does not currently focus on public policy change, but these are some groups who are advocating for public changes that we feel are important.

Exodus Cry: Petition and Introduction of legislation in US States to require ID age verification before accessing online pornography

"We are calling on all sites hosting porn to require that users be age verified, with ID, before they can access content." At 5WAVES, we see over and over the effects of children who are exposed to porn at increasingly younger ages, and who tragically try out what they see on their siblings. We believe that if online sites can verify age before selling alcohol or cigarettes, they can do so before selling pornography as well. We believe that since an individual can be held criminally responsible for exposing a child to pornography, big tech and big porn should be held legally responsible for exposing millions of children to pornography.

Erin's Law: Lobbying the 50 US States to pass laws that require public school districts to implement a prevention-oriented child sexual abuse program.

"School districts must teach children personal body safety. How to speak up and tell if they are being abused." 5WAVES supports this effort. We call on those providing child sexual abuse education to include prevention of sexual harm caused by other children and by family members, including siblings, in their prevention programs. And we believe that, while teaching children their boundaries, how to say no, and how to report abuse is important, the main responsibility for protecting children should always lie with adults. We believe it is important to make it clear that sexual abuse is never a child's fault.

National Center on Sexual Exploitation: Action Center to subscribe for updates and alerts on a variety of issues related to sexual abuse, exploitation, CSAM, and pornography.

"With simple, quick actions YOU can help ensure that global corporations cease to profit from – or contribute to – sexual exploitation. You can make sure that your local, state, and federal legislators and policy makers have the tools to pass good laws..." The NCOSE recognizes that so many forms of sexual abuse, assault, and exploitation are inter-related, and acts broadly to confront this many-tentacled problem on all sides. At 5WAVES we know that those who are sexualized early, including by a sibling's harmful sexual behavior, are at increased risk for sexual assault and exploitation. We also know that some sibling sexual activity is initiated and/or coerced by adults who are exploiting both children and coercing or forcing them into sexual activity. The director of NCOSE is aware of the rise in incest porn and its relation to sibling sexual trauma.

Suojellaan Lapsia/Protect Children is a Finnish-based organisation that conducts research and advocates for change that benefits children and survivors of sexual abuse and violence.

"Protect Children works to raise awareness about the prevalence of sexual violence against children, and strongly advocates nationally and internationally for greater protections and preventive measures and to strengthen the rights of children, survivors and families affected by child sexual abuse." 5WAVES is a collaborator with Suojellaan Lapsia, to help them collect survey responses.