The Association of Sites Advocating Child Protection (ASACP) is marking its 10th anniversary.
Founded in 1996, ASACP is a nonprofit organization dedicated to eliminating child pornography from the Internet. ASACP battles child pornography through its child porn reporting hot line and by organizing the efforts of the online adult industry to combat child sexual abuse.
Tim Henning is ASACP’s compliance director, and he has been with the organization almost since the beginning. He says ASACP initially was a very hands-on effort.
“We focused primarily on the reporting hot line, which then received only about 10 to 20 reports per day by email,” Henning notes. “Each submission received a handwritten response, and all valid reports were manually emailed to authorities. Trends and statistics were also tracked and documented manually. When you consider our humble beginnings, ASACP’s metamorphosis and contribution to the battle against child pornography are quite startling.”
Since 1996, ASACP has expanded its capacity and resources as more and more companies have become involved as sponsors and members. ASACP now receives more than 60,000 reports of suspected child pornography each year and forwards more than 2,500 confirmed child porn reports to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation, the state attorney general offices, and relevant international hot lines.
Last year the American Society of Association Executives added ASACP to its Associations Advance America Honor Roll, and California State Assemblyman Paul Koretz presented ASACP with a certificate of recognition for its ongoing work protecting children.
“ASACP’s growth during the past decade reflects a whole industry coming together to do the right thing,” says ASACP Executive Director Joan Irvine. “But the fact that there is still such a great need for ASACP is also a sobering reminder that our work must go on.”
Special activities marking ASACP’s 10th anniversary will take place throughout the year. In March, The Phoenix Forum’s Second Annual Golf Tournament will benefit both ASACP and the Free Speech Coalition. There also will be a cocktail event at the XBiz Summer ’06 Forum in July and a celebration at Internext Summer 2006 in August.
Companies and individuals interested in supporting ASACP may visit the organization’s website for information about how to get involved.
