Buyers Beware: Ending Commercial Sexual Exploitation

Why Canada’s Bill C-36, Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA), became law in December 2014, with the provision that it would be reviewed in five years. Canadians need to be educated about the law in order to be prepared to evaluate and make recommendations for its improvement and further enforcement.

Valiant Richey, Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County, will be sharing his experience of working with the demand side of this exploitation, educating the public on awareness of strategies for enforcement. Canada’s current law criminalizing the buyers of sex is in alignment with the work that Valiant Richey’s office has undertaken and would be a great opportunity for educating our police forces and general public.

Background King County, Seattle is part of known domestic and global sex trafficking running from Canada to Mexico and internet trafficking. Now, King County is currently piloting a new Demand Reduction model to reduce commercial sexual exploitation. This model, put forwarded by the “Buyer Beware” Initiative, focuses on the participants in these crimes who do have a choice: the buyers who drive demand.

About Valiant Richey Valiant Richey is a senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney for King County. For the last seven years, Valiant has worked in the Special Assault Unit, which handles cases involving the sexual abuse of children and adults and the physical abuse of children. Currently he is a senior trial attorney in the unit and is responsible for prosecuting cases involving sex traffickers and the purchase of children for sex. In 2013, he was appointed to the Commercially Sexually Exploited Children Statewide Coordinating Committee. He has a BA and MA in political Science from Boston University and a J.D. from the University of Washington.

https://www.picatic.com/endexploitation