ATLANTA (January 31, 2012) – Sen. Renee Unterman (R-Buford) will participate in a press conference on Wednesday February 1, 2012, at 9:00 a.m. as part of the “Stop the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Lobby Day” at the Georgia State Capitol. Sen. Unterman will be joined by Lt. Governor Casey Cagle, Attorney General Sam Olens, Rep. Edward Lindsey, and Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed.
As part of the rally, legislators and child welfare advocates from throughout the state will join together in raising awareness of the sexual exploitation of children in Georgia. The event is sponsored by two of the foremost organizations dedicated to stopping child exploitation in Georgia; Street GRACE, A Future. Not A Past. and Wellspring Living. The event will also feature several special guests including musician Janie Chu and the founder of Masterpiece Performing Arts Company, Janeen Hammond.
“I remain committed to putting a stop to the victimization of Georgia’s young people and will continue to support legislation aimed at preventing this horrible crime,” said Sen. Unterman. “I applaud Street GRACE, A Future. Not A Past. and Wellspring Living for their efforts to mobilize an army of volunteers from across the state to protect the innocence of our youth.”
Throughout her years as a public servant, Sen. Unterman has focused her efforts on health and social law, giving special attention to the protection of the young and vulnerable. In particular, Sen. Unterman has proven to be an advocate for protecting the purity of Georgia’s children by working to raise awareness of this growing problem on both the local and state level.
Last week, Sen. Unterman filed SB 355, which provides a greater level of accountability for the reporting of child abuse by extending the reporting requirement beyond those directly responsible for the child’s care. If passed, anyone with reasonable cause to believe child abuse is occurring and knowingly and willingly fails to report the abuse will be found guilty of a misdemeanor.
“Often times, child abuse cases go unreported, for years, if not decades,” said Sen. Unterman. “Passage of SB 355 would bring an added measure of security to Georgia’s children while also providing a strong, unified voice for victims of child abuse.”
The “STOP the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Lobby Day” will take place on February 1, 2012, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the North Steps of the Georgia State Capitol. For additional information on this event, please visit www.streetgrace.org.
RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
January 31, 2012
For Information Contact:
Natalie Dale, Director
Shawna Mercer,Sr. Communications Specialist
shawna.mercer@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028