California Against Slavery (CAS) is a 501(c)(3) organization that launched a

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

state wide directory of organizations and agencies that provide services to victims and survivors of human trafficking, sex trafficking, and labor trafficking. The organization focuses on the specific goal of creating a ''Connected and Collaborating California''. The directory is meant to aid survivors, service providers and concerned citizens in joining the fight against human trafficking. The CAS website contains a page with Resources that directs the user to Awareness Materials, Trainings, Legislation, Prevention Education, Research, and Legislative Models.

Philosophy

The CAS charter is founded on the philosophies that every person has an inherent dignity which society and laws must uphold and protect; that human trafficking, which is by definition a crime against a person also deprives the victim of basic and fundamental human and civil rights; and that allowing any form of

slavery Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

to exist is a detriment to our society and communities; the offense reaches beyond the individual.

History

California Against Slavery (CAS) was founded in 2010 as a 501(c)(4) human rights advocacy organization directed at strengthening

state laws to protect victims of sex trafficking, particularly minors, and to increase law enforcement efforts. The organization focused on the specific goal to put an

initiative In political science, an initiative (also known as a popular initiative or citizens' initiative) is a means by which a petition signed by a certain number of registered voters can force a government to choose either to enact a law or hold a ...

on the 2012 California ballot. California voters passe
Proposition 35 (the CASE Act)
a California Against Slavery citizen initiative with over 81% approval, making it the most popular initiative since Californians began the process in 1914.

Ballot initiatives

CAS seeks to initiate a vote on a ballot question that would (1) make stiffer criminal penalties (2) aid district attorneys in prosecuting human trafficking offenses, (3) increase protection for human trafficking victims, (4) mandate two-hour human trafficking training for

law enforcement Law enforcement is the activity of some members of government who act in an organized manner to enforce the law by discovering, deterring, rehabilitating, or punishing people who violate the rules Rule or ruling may refer to: Education ...

officers, and (5) increase allocation of certain seized assets and fines to organizations that serve human trafficking victims. CAS was unable to reach the required 600,000 signatures required before the March 31, 2010 deadline for automatic placement on the ballot. The organization is actively seeking to raise awareness and to get an initiative on the ballot in 2012.

Raising awareness

CAS’s efforts have been the subject of numerous news programs and news articles. In addition to media exposure, CAS raises awareness throughout California by hosting awareness events. The location of the events are popular trafficking hubs such as

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

and

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...

and

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, the state capital. The most notable event was hosted on June 28, shortly after the ballot deadline in front of the State Capital in Sacramento which included notable appearance in support of CAS including speakers Senate President pro Tem

Darrell Steinberg Darrell Steven Steinberg (born October 15, 1959) is an American politician and attorney who is the 56th mayor of Sacramento, California since December 2016. He was elected to be mayor on June 7, 2016 (avoiding a runoff). Before that, he was Cali ...

(D-Sacramento), Jenny Williamson, founder of Courage to Be You, Nola Brantley, executive director of MISSSEY, Randy Harrell, senior pastor of New City Church and performances by musicians: Coalition fight music, Freddy Wachter and Kristie White. This event brought people together to hand deliver petitions to the State Capital in furtherance of the inclusion of CAS's anti-trafficking initiative on the 2012 ballot.

CAS and other anti-slavery organizations

CAS’s goal is set for 2012 with efforts to propose an initiative to California’s 23 million eligible voters. CAS works alongside other organizations such as Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking, Courage To Be You, Stop the Traffik, and Standing Against Global Exploitation.

Endorsements

CAS has obtained police endorsements from San Diego Police Officers Association, Southern California Alliance of Law Enforcement, National Latino Peace Officers Association, San Diego Chapter, and Peace Officers Research Association of California.

References

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External links

Official website
*https://web.archive.org/web/20101128032529/http://oaklandlocal.com/article/youth-trafficking-series-index *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erQwP69Hhks (KRON Channel 4 San Francisco) *https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wa_Wo4hbh50&feature=player_embedded (NBC Bay Area) *http://oaklandnorth.net/2010/03/13/as-more-oakland-youth-join-the-sex-trade-law-enforcement-explores-alternatives-to-incarceration/ *https://web.archive.org/web/20110629045029/http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news%2Flocal%2Fsan_francisco&id=7212507 Organizations that combat human trafficking Human trafficking in the United States History of slavery in California Non-profit organizations based in California