ATLANTA, GA (February 5, 2009) — State Senator Renee Unterman (R-Buford) continued her efforts to fight the sexual exploitation of minors in Georgia as she held a press conference today at the State Capitol endorsing a legislative package aimed at cracking down on this practice. Senator Unterman, who co-chaired the joint Commission on Sexual Exploitation of Minors this past summer, is the primary sponsor of two bills in the package which she sees as vital measures to protect the safety of young boys and girls and to create a no tolerance zone for the prostitution of children in Georgia.
“I am committed to doing all I can to stop the horrible victimization of young boys and girls in Georgia and this legislation will protect innocent children and teens from abuse and provide the resources necessary to combat these crimes much more effectively,” said Unterman. “This legislative package is designed as a targeted effort to help create a coordinated, state-wide campaign that will raise awareness and stop the prostitution of children in Georgia so it is imperative we act now to address these horrendous crimes taking place all over our state and protect these young victims from future abuse.”
Senator Unterman seeks to amend the child abuse reporting law to require mandatory reporting of all commercial sexual exploited minors as child sexual abuse through Senate Bill 69. The current law only mandates a report of sexual abuse by a parent or caretaker, but the study committee findings noted that many adolescent girls are solicited by non-family members. Sen. Unterman also will carry the issue of changing the minimum age of exotic dancers from 18 to 21 with Senate Bill 74. SB 74 also raises the required age of any employee such as a waiter or bartender working in a Georgia adult entertainment facility to 21.
Senator Jack Murphy (R-Cumming) has introduced Senate Bill 91, the adult entertainment surcharge bill, as part of this legislative package. The proposed measure would impose a $5 entry fee for patrons at adult entertainment businesses and venues. The money generated from the surcharge will be spent to fund services for children who have been prostituted, including abuse centers and prevention strategies. Unlike taxes which generate revenue for the state general fund and can be spent on any project, this surcharge fee will go directly to the Crime Victims’ Emergency Fund, which is administered by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC).
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Senator Unterman was joined today by several students of TeenPact, which is a Christian leadership school geared towards teaching children aged 13-18 principles in leadership, politics, and citizenship. TeenPact holds classes at the state Capitol studying the legislative process. Other supporters who attended were State Senator David Shafer (R-Duluth), Jim Beck of the Georgia Christian Coalition, and Cheryl Deluca-Johnson of Street GRACE.
Advocates for the bills have noted Minor Sexual Exploitation is an imperative and prevalent issue to Georgians because Atlanta is one of 14 cities in the U.S with the highest incidents of child exploitation. Two hundred to three hundred young girls are sexually exploited in Georgia every month with as many as 129 girls being prostituted on a typical weekend night, and 12 to 14 is the average age of entry into pornography and prostitution in the U.S.
SB 69 and 74 have been referred to the Senate Judiciary committee while SB 91 has been assigned to the Senate Finance committee. Each bill will be taken up for debate and consideration at a future committee meeting yet to be determined.
Sen. Renee Unterman serves as Chairman of the Government Oversight Committee. She represents the 45th Senate District which includes a portion of Gwinnett County. She can be reached at 404.463.1368 or by email at renee.unterman@senate.ga.gov.
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release:
February 5, 2009
For Information Contact:
Raegan Weber,Director
Matt Colvin Communications Associate
matthew.colvin@senate.ga.gov
404.656.0028