Mayors’ Pledge to Protect
Of the 42 million survivors of child sexual abuse in the United States*, 3 million are still under the age of 18. Not only is issue a hidden crisis, it sits at the nexus of many of today’s most pressing problems: mental health, suicide, homelessness, addiction, human trafficking, and gender inequality, to name a few. Addressing these issues starts with prevention. We need to go beyond creating a cultural shift, it will take strong policies and real safeguards on a local level. Starting May 19th 2019, Child Safety Pledge is challenging civic leaders across North America to become catalysts for change.
After decades of inaction on a federal level, Mayors and other chief executives are not waiting. They are coming together to help prevent and combat this epidemic. Through the CSP Mayors’ Pledge, cities, municipalities, and other communities are committing to create safe schools, sports clubs and other youth-serving facilities, and to educate citizens about how they can make a difference at home and in their community.
There are four steps to taking and implementing the pledge.
1. Take the Pledge
By taking the pledge, you are committing to both protect habitat in your community and encourage your citizens to do the same. Read the Mayors’ Pledge and then take the pledge online! Once you sign, you will be added to the publicly available signatories list.
Mayors’ Pledge to Protect: English Version | Spanish Version
2. Specify Your Actions
Our Head of Policy will follow up to work to identify a number of specific actions that your community will initiate in the next year. Mayors who decide to become proactive champions will receive special recognition and be listed a member of the Leadership Circle. Once these specific actions have been identified, your representatives will be able to report progress through an online survey form. Read the Pledge and specify which actions you will take.
3. Take Action
Once you have taken the pledge and specified which actions your community will take over the next year, it’s time to start taking action! Over the next few months, the Child Safety Pledge and its’ coalition partners will share best practices for cities and municipalities through our online resources section, occasional email updates, social media, and webinars.
4. Report Progress
Once your office has begun to take action we will ask communities to fill out a simple reporting form on an bi-annual basis. The reporting process will only take 5-20 minutes and the data we collect will allow us to track outcomes and the collective impact of Mayors across North America
Once a year, on November 19th, we will publish a report highlighting the top ten mayors in North America.
*poor reporting in Mexico means it is impossible to get data on all of North America. However samples studies have found the rate of CSA is much higher than the United States and Canada.