Washington update for April

April 21, 2008
Hello Everyone!
Today is April 21, and we are busy. Very very busy.

• Safe Child Week - Organizations and businesses across Washington State are signing up to participate in this week-long effort toward preventative safety education. Town Hall meetings, ID Kit events, community seminars, library story-times, PTA programs, public service announcements... in a week or so, you'll be able to enter your location into [this] event form, and find a participant near you.


• Legislation - Not a single bill that we proposed got through. Thankfully, others have recognized the importance of that legislation, so there are more people working on it and helping it along. Some other legislation that we're working on is the Statute of Limitations on CSA crimes, and researching issues that members have had over the last 18 months, to see if there are systems that need work. Head over to our blog and talk about it!


• PlayGround Watch - is in the works. Have a community area that your family enjoys, like the park, playground at school, or a public pool? You'll be able to talk to others that use that same space, and trade community information and safety issues.


• Introducing Heather, who is our rotating Director of Special Projects. Right now, most of this is a special project! Heather will be working on establishing a seminar program for the state, and on formalizing Safe Child Week. She comes to us with a strong background in management and training, and we really appreciate her help.


• Town Hall meetings - In response to the large number of emails we received expressing disappointment with this session's results, we've talked to our State's Senators and Representatives about scheduling Town Hall meetings in their districts. Some of these may be hosted by community members, some by cities and towns, but all of them will provide a forum for YOU to tell your local government what you think about community and child safety, and also will provide some common-sense safety education. Contact your district office to find out if one is scheduled in your area.

And, please - we need feedback and volunteers.
Want to handout tip sheets at a farmers market in your community? Organize and moderate a safety seminar? Could be fun :-)

Talk to Us - Volunteer - Donate
Thank you!

Are sex offenders ill?

A great article from the Sex Crime blog: Are Sex Offenders Ill?

I'm not a mental health professional, so I won't offer an opinion. I will say that their mental health is not of concern to our org.

What is of concern is that -if they have gotten to the point of being 'sex offenders' - they allowed themselves to impose on another person in a sexually violent manner.

That's what jails are for.

Washington update for March

2008 is an eventful year so far.

In January, we worked with the Washington State Bar Association on their methods of dealing with members accused of sex crimes, prepared for the 2008 Legislative Session, and we traveled to Olympia to testify before a legislative committee.
In February, we made several trips to Olympia to testify and talk to legislators, put up a new website, and started preparations for Missing Children's Week, in May.
In March we

• Watched the clock as all of our Bills stalled in the final stage of the legislative session. In those final hours, the legislators showed us that they do not share our priorities. Disappointed? Hugely. Dis-spirited? Yeah, a little. And very motivated to get our message heard and our legislation passed in 2008/09.


• Received word from the Washington State Bar Association that they read our Letter of Request and agree that this is an issue they need to work on. They're forming a committee to figure out the best method of dealing with members accused of sex crimes, so that consumers of legal services in Washington State can have some faith in the integrity of those listed on the WSBA's member pages.


• Continued work on Missing Children's Week. This will be a week of prevention education in observance of Missing Children's Day. We're working with a rapidly growing number of organizations across Washington State to bring some amount of prevention education to every single child and care-giver in the state, in the hopes of reducing the horrifying number of children preyed upon each year.


• We still need help! The offers of encouragement are wonderful, and very appreciated, but all of this work costs a bit of money, and takes a lot of time. $12 pays for the website for a month, and you can donate it by buying a couple of items from our store! Or, if you'd like to work on a project, please contact us and let us know - a few hours of your time is a wonderful way to help.


• April 3 is "Blog Against Sexual Violence" day. You can participate over at www.wash-cap.org/blog. We're going to start a few topics, and you can come on over and participate. What topics would you like to see discussed? Let us know, and we'll get them up.

Thank you for your continued support. We started off the year with a lot of enthusiasm, and we're continuing with dedication and tenacity.

We have a very full agenda, we have a detailed plan of action, and we are moving forward.

-Bethan & Paula
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