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| STOP Child Sexual Exploitation
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ICM ALERT: SB 304 has been scheduled for a hearing by the Senate Judiciary Committee, Monday, March 8 @ 1:00 p.m. The hearing will be held in Room 307 of the Coverdell Legislative Office Building (CLOB). SB 304 recommends a minimum age of 16 before a child is charged and prosecuted for prostitution and a disposition of treatment for the child victim. Please come to the hearing if you are able. Call and send e-mails to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and ask them to vote "Yes" on SB 304.
HELP ICM STOP CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING
ICM needs your help to stop the sexual exploitation of children in Georgia. Contact us at 770-498-2141 or at info@interfaithchildrensmovement.org and let us know that you and your faith community are ready to join the fight.
CSEC System of Care Toolkit Hosted on ICM's Web Site
ICM is honored to be the interim host of the CSEC System of Care Toolkit for Georgia Care Connection (GCC). Georgia Care Connection is the new initiative launched by the Governor's Office for Children and Families "to identify commercially sexually exploited children and link them to services without subjecting them to arrest."
Executive Director Dale Alton is excited about leading the team at the GCC office. You can visit the new program by clicking on CSEC System of Care Toolkit, or by selecting it in the main menu bar.
The Safety Gap Fund: A scholarship fund has been established with Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia to cover the gap for rescued girls who need residential care in a licensed safe house but have no other source of funding. A safe, structured setting, including room, board and watchful oversight costs $5,600 per month per girl. More...
REPORT CHILD SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING From the Atlanta Police Department: If you know of a child in Atlanta that is being exploited for the purpose of prostitution or indentured servitude. Please call the Dear John/Human Trafficking Hotline at (404)379-3602.
Still Need 100,000 to Sign the Online Petition for Child Victims of Prostitution and Trafficking
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| Welcome to the Interfaith Children's Movement
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RELIEF FOR THE HAITIAN & CHILEAN PEOPLES
Many faith communities have come to the aid of the men, women and children of Haiti who are suffering from the devastation brought by the earthquake and subsequent aftershocks. With the recent 8.8 earthquake in Chile, please check with your faith community to discover how help is being supplied. You can also contact the following faith organizations in the links below to determine how you can help. If your faith tradition is involved in rendering aid, please let us know, and we will post the necessary contact information.
JUVENILE JUSTICE MATTERS: HB 1085 - FOSTERING CONNECTIONS
This legislation is in alignment with SB 292 (Juvenile Code Reform). Please support HB 1085.
HB 1085 - Fostering Connections will be brought up for a vote on the House Floor of the Georgia General Assembly tomorrow, Wednesday, March 10, 2010. Please contact your member of the House of Representatives today and ask him/her to support HB 1085.
Background: The federal Fostering Connections to Success and Increasing Adoptions Act of 2008 (H.R. 6893/P.L. 110-351) was designed to help hundreds of thousands of vulnerable children find a safe, loving and permanent home by increasing opportunities for adoption and relative guardianship. It also focuses on improving critical education and health care services for children in foster care and better preparing older youth for adulthood. (more...)
JUVENILE JUSTICE MATTERS: A NEW JUVENILE CODE FOR GEORGIA
ACTION ITEM: Next Hearing on SB 292: The Child Protection and Public Safety Act
As a member of the JUSTGeorgia coalition, ICM is calling on you to help us bring juvenile code reform to Georgia. The next Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on SB 292: The Child Protection and Public Safety Act is scheduled for Tuesday, March 9, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m., in Room 125 of The State Capitol.
The Child Protection and Public Safety Act is a comprehensive reform of Georgia's current Juvenile Code. Not only does it bring order and clarity to the Code, it calls for restorative justice for Georgia's children.
We need your supportive presence at these hearings. Also, contact your state legislators and let them know that you support juvenile code reform and JUSTGeorgia We especially need for you to contact the following members of the Senate Judiciary Juvenile Code Rewrite Sub-Committee:
to find out your state legislators.
JUVENILE JUSTICE MATTERS: A NEW JUVENILE CODE FOR GEORGIA
SB 292 - New Article for Juvenile Code: Children in Need of Services (CHINS)
Senate Bill 292 - The Child Protection and Public Safety Act, which was introduced in the latter part of the 2009 session by Senator Bill Hamrick (R-30th), is the result of the diligence and hard work of the JUSTGeorgia coalition. This legislation is the beginning of the overdue reform needed in Georgia's juvenile justice system. It proposes a Juvenile Code that--
• provides for fair and equal justice for all children;
• makes the law clear for judges, attorneys and parents; and
• provides for intervention and prevention services that help children.
In 2008, the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice reported that it processed 50,594 intake cases. One of the 21st century approaches to prevention, intervention and rehabilitation in this proposed juvenile code revision is a new article Children in Need of Services (CHINS).
"The proposed Children In Need of Services (CHINS) article of Senate Bill 292 - The Child Protection and Public Safety Act will provide more immediate support services and intervention to at-risk children and their families, without formal court involvement. By doing so, these children can be treated in a non-punitive, non-criminalizing way. The purpose is to recognize that a child may not always be responsible for problematic behaviors. By providing appropriate service-focused interventions, a child is more likely to be deterred from future delinquency and involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems," reported Julia Neighbors, project manager for JUSTGeorgia."
ICM sees the measures included in the CHINS article as necessary and logical steps to building stronger families and reducing the overwhelming number of Georgia's children entering the juvenile justice system. As a member of the JUSTGeorgia coalition, ICM will continue to travel across Georgia to encourage faith communities to become informed and educated about the proposed juvenile code legislation and the state of Georgia's children in the juvenile justice system and to help faith communities get engaged in becoming part of the solution.
Use this link to find a summary of the key objectives of this legislation: SB 292 Key Objectives.
Read Senator Hamrick's editorial in the June issue of waveLength, the Voices for Georgia's Children newsletter.
Read Georgia Appleseed's: Common Wisdom: Making the Case for a New Georgia Juvenile Code
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 “Protecting Assets and Child Custody in the Face of Deportation: A Guide for Practitioners Assisting Immigrant Families.”
From Georgia Appleseed: This manual guides volunteer lawyers and non-lawyer practitioners through important financial and family rights threatened by the deportation process, including final paychecks, bank accounts, car and home ownership, government benefits, child custody, and others. “Protecting Assets” provides easy-to-follow, step-by-step instructions to help immigrants protect their financial assets and family relationships.
Hispanic groups at odds over census (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
While government officials blanket the area to encourage participation in the 2010 Census, some Hispanic groups are at odds as to whether to stand up and be counted.
The Rev. Antonio Mansogo, president of the Confraternity of Pastors and Ministers of Atlanta, is advising undocumented residents to avoid the census. He said the failure of lawmakers to enact immigration reform and the implementation of the new inmate screening program, known as 287g, has raised suspicions among Hispanics. (more...)
(Jerry Gonzalez of GALEO advises that this is the wrong position to take. See his comments in the article.)
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ICM RECEIVES RECOGNITION
February 19, 2010 - ICM was recognized for its work on behalf of children by the Cobb County School District School Social Workers and the Marietta City School Social Workers at their Community Appreciation Breakfast. A special note of thanks goes to Rebecca Whicker for identifying ICM as a worthy recipient of this honor.
TOBACCO TAX RALLY
A recent poll indicated that 73% of Georgia voters are "OK" with a tobacco tax increase to help reduce Georgia's budget deficit and to reduce the onset of teen smoking. With deeper and deeper cuts to health care and education, Georgians are beginning to realize that we cannot cut our way out of this economic crisis. The proposed tobacco tax would generate more than $300 million in additional revenue.
Join the Tobacco Tax Rally, Monday, March 8, beginning at 9:00 a.m. at Central Presbyterian Church (located directly across from the Capitol at 201 Washington Street, Atlanta).
2010 LEGISLATIVE SESSION
ICM's advocacy issues include (but are not limited to):
- Re-write of Georgia's Juvenile Code (SB 292)
- Georgia's Universal Pre-K Program: 80% Enrollment Goal and Availability to All Children (Governor's proposed budget cuts could mean reduction in available spaces and elimination of resource coordinators)
And ICM will continue to work with others who are advocating for extending protected leave to unprotected workers. Parents should not have to choose between keeping their jobs and taking their children to the doctor or attending a parent/teacher conference.
What's going on under the Gold Dome?
Daily Legislative Updates
Find Your Legislators
Georgia General Assembly
2010 State Budget Issues
Georgia Budget & Policy Institute
DISMANTLING THE SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE
The "School To Prison Pipeline" (STPP) refers to a disturbing national trend in which students are funneled out of public schools and into the juvenile and criminal justice systems.
in conjunction with
Presents
DISMANTLING THE
SCHOOL TO PRISON PIPELINE FORUM
March 13, 2010
at
Atlanta's John Marshall Law School
1422 W. Peachtree St. NW
Atlanta, GA 30309
10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. Room 301
Opening Speaker:
Clayton County Juvenile Court
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Forum Registration
Space is Limited!
The forum and lunch are free. However, you must register
in order to receive lunch.
For more information contact:
Lunch provided by:
Atlanta Community Engagement Team (ACET)
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