Mission Statement
Who We Are The Standing Against Global Exploitation Project--or SAGE Project--is a nonprofit organization with one primary aim: bringing an end to human trafficking and the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adults (CSEC/CSE). SAGE contributes to this goal by raising awareness about trafficking and CSEC/CSE issues and by providing treatment services for survivors.
SAGE's approach is collaborative as well as prevention and solution oriented; it's about restorative justice that benefits individual communities and the whole of our society.
SAGE is unique in that it is one of the few organizations which was created by and for CSEC/CSE survivors. The personal knowledge and experience possessed by the SAGE staff enables them to effectively provide support and engender trust without re-traumatizing even the most fragile of clients.
Mission The mission of the SAGE Project is to improve the lives of individuals victimized by, or at risk for sexual exploitation, violence and prostitution through trauma recovery services, substance abuse treatment, vocational training, housing assistance and legal advocacy.
Commercial Sexual Exploitation, or CSE, is not a victimless crime; it affects everyone it touches - from the exploited and abused children and adults, to the purchasers of CSE-based services and their families, to the communities and cultures in which it flourishes. CSE has high costs in dollars and lives, yet it flourishes because of outdated assumptions, biases, and policies, as well as from a lack of understanding, high-quality research, and updated policy.
The ultimate "project" of SAGE is to help bring about the end of human trafficking and commercial sexual exploitation -eradicating a supply and demand for CSE/CSEC and its high costs, while effectively and compassionately addressing the problem, misconceptions and biases that allow CSE/CSEC to continue.
SAGE fulfills its mission through localized survivor-centered programs, services, outreach, and collaborations, as well as through broader advocacy, education, replication, and public-awareness efforts. The SAGE Project also works closely with law enforcement, public health, social service agencies and the District Attorney's office on restorative justice programs and efforts to end the escalating sexual trafficking of our children and youth.
Description
Since its inception in 1995, SAGE has grown into an award-winning and internationally recognized human service and advocacy organization, and a model for programs worldwide serving victims of sexual exploitation, trauma, trafficking and violence. SAGE's unique program philosophy, in which survivors of commercial sexual exploitation are treated, rather than criminalized, enables the most effective service delivery for this population, as the staff intimately understands issues clients bring to treatment. Most of SAGE's employees have survived abuse and prostitution, most have been in the criminal justice system, homeless, and/or have histories of substance abuse. This personal connection to SAGE's mission, along with peer mentoring and ongoing professional development, creates a powerful organizational culture that promotes individual change among its clients.
