Courtney's House
At Courtney's House, we are committed to providing a safe place for child sex trafficking victims.
Child
sex trafficking goes on a great deal in the United States. Much like
the majority of other countries affected by human trafficking, the U.S.
has a large internal or "domestic" component to its human trafficking
problem. One of the largest forms of domestic sex trafficking in the
U.S. involves traffickers who coerce children to enter the commercial
sex industry through the use of a variety of recruitment and control
mechanisms in strip clubs, street-based prostitution, escort services
and brothels. Domestic sex traffickers commonly referred to as "pimps"
typically target vulnerable young children, particularly runaway and
homeless youth, although this is not the only population that is
manipulated by traffickers. Traffickers don't care about the economic
background of any child, they care only about a profit.
The average age of entry into the commercial sex industry is 11-12 years old. Approximately 325,000 children in the United States are subjected to sexual exploitation every year.
Let us secure our future. Let us protect our children. Support the cause today.
Mission Statement
Courtney’s House
is committed to providing a safe space and loving environment - in a
therapeutic and emotionally healing atmosphere - for domestic sex
trafficked girls and boys between the ages of 12 and 18 years. Courtney’s House
is dedicated to the mission of ending domestic sex trafficking and
commercial sexual exploitation of all children. We focus our efforts on
providing a long-term group home and providing direct
services.
Vision
The vision of Courtney’s House is to raise awareness so all will want to help end the commercial sexual exploitation and domestic sex trafficking of children.
Philosophy
We
believe that providing a safe space for sex trafficked girls is a small
but much needed key to success. By providing them with staff survivors
and giving them their own voices, we equip them with the ability to pass
on their own keys to success.
About Courtney’s House
The Courtney’s House
initiative was started in August 2008. The organization was founded by
Tina Frundt, herself a survivor of domestic child sex trafficking. Courtney’s House
will soon be opening Shae's Place, a group home that will be a 6-bed
long-term home for sex trafficked girls between the ages of 12 and 18
years – the only one of its kind in the Washington, D.C.area to cater
specifically to this vital population segment.
Until
the opening of Shae's Place, Courtney's House remains committed to
providing girls and boys with the skills and safe environment required
to get them out of their trafficking situations so that they can go on
to live healthy, happy lives. We currently provide services at our D.C.
location, and we serve the D.C. Metro Area.
We
also conduct weekly street outreach Fridays and Saturdays in D.C.,
2:00am-7:00am. We operate a hot-line by survivors, for survivors; the
hotline number is for victims or to make a referral 888-261-3665
Our
services include group therapy (art/dance/yoga), survivor led CSEC
support groups, individual counseling/therapy, and intensive case
management
Is CSEC Different from Sex Trafficking?
The
commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) consists of sexual
abuse by adults and payment in cash or kind to the child, or a third
person or persons, and is a fundamental violation of children’s rights.
Commercial
sexual exploitation is a contemporary form of child slavery and
consists of practices that are demeaning, degrading and, in many
instances, life-threatening to the child. The child is treated as a
commercial and sexual object.
CSEC
manifests itself through multiple forms of prostitution and
pornography, as well as the sale and trafficking of children for sexual
purposes.
