The Junior League Asks: So What Do People Think of When They Hear ‘Super Bowl’?

Feb. 3, 2011 - PRLog -- The Junior League Asks: So What Do People Think of When They Hear ‘Super Bowl’?

The Junior League of Atlanta tackles sexual exploitation of city’s children

New York, February 3, 2011 – Each year, for every new Super Bowl, the media focuses on an interesting fact:  Thousands of men with lots of money in their pockets showing up for a 3-day party in a city far from home away from wives, families and social restraints means more “business” for prostitutes.  

Says Delly Beekman, President of The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc., “What happens at big sporting events like the Super Bowl is no secret.  In fact, search the term ‘Super Bowl and Prostitution’ and you get nearly 300,000 hits on Google.  But what happens when the ‘prostitutes’ are underage victims of human trafficking?  Should we care?  And what can we do about it?”

Human trafficking is an increasingly important issue within The Junior League, with key initiatives taking place at the state level through the New York State Public Affairs Committee of the Junior Leagues of New York, Junior Leagues of New Jersey State Public Affairs Committee, and the Michigan State Council of Junior Leagues, which have advocated for legislation in their states to recognize victims of human trafficking and offer them support instead of treating them as criminals.

But the Junior League of Atlanta (JLA) shows what even one League can do on its own, when members are behind it.

One week before the kickoff at Super Bowl XLV in Dallas, JLA sponsored How To Stop The Candy Shop, a special one-hour presentation on Atlanta’s public television channel, PBA30 TV, that marks the launch of a citywide campaign focused on eliminating the sexual exploitation of Atlanta's children.  And that’s only one piece of JLA’s comprehensive initiative against the sexual trafficking of underage children in Atlanta.  JLA’s political affairs day at the state capitol, on Feb. 1, brought the message to legislators.  Days later, JLA will sponsor a community leadership meeting at League Headquarters to build support for its initiative.

But this is not a done-in-a-day program.  Other highlights of JLA’s ongoing efforts include:
•   Conducting community training and advocacy workshops to better educate our members and the public on this issue and what they can do.
•   Holding a “girls roundtable” with over 20 community voices discussing ways to prevent the exploitation of children and available resources.
•   Holding an education and empowerment workshop for adolescent girls to focus on awareness and prevention.
•   Sponsoring a business breakfast with over 30 business and community leaders, with an additional breakfast meeting coming soon.
•   Creating a billboard outreach campaign to provide trafficking victims with the Georgia Care Connection number, a resource line dedicated to helping them.
•   Monitoring upcoming legislation that would reduce demand or supply for commercially sexually exploited children.
•   Empowering a Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) committee to increase awareness of this issue, target the demand for exploiting children and reduce the supply of at-risk children.

“Everyone agrees that sexual trafficking of underage children is a serious problem in this country,” Ms. Beekman adds.  “But how we respond to this issue also says a lot about who we are as a country. “  

About The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc.

Founded in 1901 by New Yorker and social activism pioneer, Mary Harriman, the Junior Leagues are charitable nonprofit organizations of women, developed as civic leaders, creating demonstrable community impact.

Today, The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is comprised of more than 155,000 women in 292 Junior Leagues throughout Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom and the United States.  Together, they constitute one of the largest, most effective volunteer organizations in the world.  


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The Association of Junior Leagues International, Inc. (AJLI) is an organization of women committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers.