ASACP Celebrates Decade of Protecting Children
LOS ANGELES, CA – The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is celebrating a decade of protecting children from sexual predators.Throughout the year 2006, ASACP will be marked by special events to commemorate this achievement, including The Phoenix Forum’s 2nd Annual Golf Tournament, which will benefit ASACP and the Free Speech Coalition. Attendees of the XBiz Summer ’06 Forum can attend a cocktail event in honor or ASACP, and the August 2006 Internext will also include suitable celebration of the anniversary.
Founded with the goal of eliminating child sexual abuse imagery (aka “child pornography”) on the internet, the non-profit organization uses a report hotline while working with the online adult industry.
Proud ASACP founder Alec Helmy proclaims the legacy of ASACP to be “an amazing ten years” and believes that “ASACP owes its success to the industry it serves, as well as the talented individuals who are on its front lines: Joan Irvine, Tim Henning, Brandon Shalton, Rick Louis, and all other ASACP contributors.”
During its early days, ASACP’s staff focused its attention on email reports, which numbered about 10 to 20 per day, according to the organization’s compliance director, Tim Henning. Each report received an individual response, and those that proved valid were manually forwarded to the appropriate authorities. With such humble beginnings, Henning believes that “ASACP’s metamorphosis and contribution to the battle against child pornography are quite startling.”
Today, ASACP has received more than 60,000 reports about possible child pornography, with more than 2,500 of those confirmed and reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the FBI, the appropriate State Attorney General’s office, and/or any qualifying international hotline.
Added last year to the American Society of Association Executives’ Associations Advance America Honor Roll and presented with a Certificate of Recognition by California State Assembly representative Paul Koretz, ASACP has made enormous strides in protecting children and being acknowledged for doing so. ASACP executive director Joan Irvine believes that this “reflects a whole industry coming together to do the right thing.”
According to Irvine, the fact that “there is still such a great need for ASACP is also a sobering reminder that our work must go on.”
Those interested in learning how they or their business can help are encouraged to visit www.ASACP.org for more details.