Statewide Community Engagement

The EEC provides education about the harms of the sex trade that are often misunderstood and also provides technical assistance to implement innovative tactics to reduce demand for paid sex across Washington State.

Networking

When the EEC started expanding in May 2019, the first year consisted of network building throughout the state and learning the different dynamics of statewide support, as well as the identified target community’s multi-sector partners in reducing sex trafficking. This network-building took many different shapes: 

  • Attending and presenting in local and statewide conferences to hear the latest approaches, research, and champions working in the CSE space and share the EEC’s available resources and supportive work

  • Driving throughout the state to attend task force meetings in person to reinforce commitment.

  • Leveraging connections of individuals in the larger task forces and scheduling individual meetings with local leaders to learn more about the demand-focused working happening in their CSE community.

  • Identifying key stakeholders to embrace and implement more demand-focused policies in their specific agency and offer all EEC supportive resources available if interested or needed.

Building Demand Focused Groups

As the EEC formulated stronger connections with local actors who were interested in establishing their own demand-focused groups, the organization of these meetings started to take place. The key roles necessary to achieve maximum effectiveness are:

  • Law Enforcement

    To actively communicate their policing strategies to address sex buying in their jurisdiction and to maintain an understanding of the most trauma-informed, survivor-centered practices in their field.

  • Prosecutors

    To provide support to law enforcement on their buyer-focused operations and to maintain an understanding of the most trauma-informed, survivor-centered practices in their field.

  • Survivor Leaders

    To guide the demand-focused working groups, provide leadership, and develop an awareness of best practices that serve the best interests of survivors in their community. 

  • Direct Service Advocates 

    To maintain awareness of how community criminal justice partners (prosecutors and law enforcement) are addressing instances of CSE, provide technical assistance/training on trauma-informed, survivor-centered practices, and advocate for survivors throughout the criminal justice process. 

  • Task Force Coordinators

    To support local network building and advisement of broader collaborative work in their community.