LOS ANGELES—The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection is running a special 20th anniversary sponsorship drive.
According to ASACP Executive Director Tim Henning, summer has always been the association’s most difficult time financially, but this year the need for increased support is greater than ever before.
“ASACP is currently facing decreasing financial industry support and we need critical help to cover vital operational expenses,” Henning said. “ASACP has implemented as many cost-cutting measures over the past couple of years as is possible, without effecting vital services, but it is proving not to be enough.”
Henning said if further cuts are necessary, they will impact mission-critical functions such as the operation of ASACP’s globally recognized sexual child exploitation tipline, which has processed more than 1 million reports of suspected CP since its inception. Also affected will be the award-winning Restricted To Adults (RTA) meta labeling and age verification system, which the association provides free to all websites as a proven means of preventing access by minors.
ASACP has faced reduced funding in part because of consolidation within the industry; companies that once sponsored ASACP have been acquired by larger entities that may have only maintained a single sponsorship under a parent organization. Also, other sponsors have decreased their level of support, in part due to the overall decline in industry revenues.
“With a drastically shrinking and consolidating industry, especially over the past two years, to support our mission I must utilize every avenue if ASACP is to survive and continue to provide the vital services it does to the industry, children and parents,” Henning explains. “I am asking that every company that can afford to support this crucial mission step up and do their part to avoid the disastrous consequences of not having such a vital trade organization protecting children and the rights of the digital media and online adult entertainment industry.”
Founded in 1996, ASACP is a non-profit organization dedicated to online child protection that offers free educational and other resources and tools that help digital media companies keep children out of and away from age-restricted materials. These include market specific Best Practices and a Code of Ethics to help guide businesses, app and website operators.
The current list of ASACP Sponsors can be seen here.
“Please help us to avoid our 20th anniversary year being the one where we lose ground in this ongoing and essential fight to protect children from sexual exploitation, report child sexual exploitation crimes, protect children in their digital lives and protect your business and industry,” Henning concludes, noting that all help will be greatly appreciated. “You can also support us through a tax deductible donation to the ASACP Foundation.”
For more information on how your company can help protect itself by protecting children, email [email protected].
