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“Every Child is Too Valuable to be Bought and Sold” is the theme of an event that will be held in Oakland on April 20. The public is invited to join Oakland Mayor Jean Quan and other community leaders in a march and rally to raise awareness of commercial sexual exploitation of young people. April 17 to 24 is Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children Awareness Week for Alameda County.

Studies have revealed these disturbing facts:

• Children as young as 12 are pressed into prostitution in the United States.
• Each year in the U.S., 100,000 to 300,000 children are commercially sexually exploited
• Each year 1.6 million children run away from abuse at home and within 48 hours that child is approached by a trafficker/pimp or “John.”

Though not talked about much, the commercial sexual exploitation of children is a problem in the Bay Area, according to Charles Go, Ph.D., UC Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development advisor for Alameda County.

In Alameda County, the youngest case is a 10-year-old, Go said.

“If you walk on East 14^th and International Blvd, especially in the area around Garfield Elementary School and Roosevelt Junior High School, you’ll see pimps hanging out trying to recruit youth,” Go said. “The same thing happens throughout other neighborhoods in Alameda County and the Bay Area. Turning a blind eye to the problem isn’t going to make it go away. Each community needs to shine a light on the problem.”

“Members of the Oakland community can do just that on April 20,” he said. “Let us march, rally, speak out and let those pimps know they are not welcome to sexually exploit vulnerable children in Oakland.”

Mayor Quan, Alameda County Supervisor Wilma Chan and District Attorney Nancy O’Malley and Alameda County Sexually Exploited Minors Network providers will be participating.

Participants will gather at Agnes Memorial Church at 2372 International and 24th Avenue at 11 a.m., then march to San Antonio Park at 1701 E. 19th Avenue

For more information about these events, contact Sarai Theolinda Smith, Alameda Family Services Support Center & CSEC coordinator, at (510) 306-5316 or stheolindasmith@yahoo.com or Charles Go, UC Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development advisor at cggo@ucdavis.edu.