The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation
The CSE Institute is a Villanova University School of Law non-profit that provides free legal services, training, and policy advocacy to combat commercial sexual exploitation in Pennsylvania, training law enforcement on Act 105 and supporting trafficking survivors through its Justice for Victims Clinical Fellowship.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersVillanova, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation does
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation (the CSE Institute) is a non-profit legal institute founded in 2014 and housed within Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Its mission is to educate and provide technical assistance on commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) and sex trafficking, promote victim-centered and trauma-informed multidisciplinary collaboration, and engage survivors in shaping legal-system responses. The Institute is co-led by Director Shea M. Rhodes, Esq. and Faculty Advisor Professor Michelle Madden Dempsey, supported by a team of approximately 7 staff plus Villanova Law student externs.
The Institute's product surface comprises direct legal services via the Justice for Victims Clinical Fellowship (vacatur, expungement, Know Your Rights outreach, and legal triage for survivors in Pennsylvania), the Annual Report on Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Pennsylvania, an Annual Survivor Symposium with survivor-led panels, technical assistance and legal research for courts and attorneys, training and education programs for law enforcement and service providers, and resource publications including A Legal Guide for Vacatur Motions in Pennsylvania. There is no proprietary technology platform, software product, or AI/ML component; delivery is human-led, knowledge-and-service based, and disseminated through the website, newsletters, social channels, YouTube recordings, webinars, and in-person events.
The business model is non-commercial. All direct services are provided at no cost to beneficiaries; funding is derived from donations and grants to the Villanova Law project, including a documented 2017 Justice for Victims Fellowship campaign that raised approximately $200,000 (anchored by Julie A. Uebler and Steven R. Wall, with a $50,000 two-year commitment from the Philadelphia Defender Association). Customer segments are survivors of sex trafficking and CSE in Pennsylvania (primary), law enforcement/prosecutors/defense counsel/judiciary (primary), policymakers and government stakeholders, and a broader community of service providers and attorneys. Geographic scope is Pennsylvania-anchored with select national training, technical assistance, and partnership activity.
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation
- Legal name
- The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation
- Website
- https://cseinstitute.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The CSE Institute is a Villanova University School of Law non-profit that provides free legal services, training, and policy advocacy to combat commercial sexual exploitation in Pennsylvania, training law enforcement on Act 105 and supporting trafficking survivors through its Justice for Victims Clinical Fellowship.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Where The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Villanova
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Institute is a non-profit legal institute within Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law that provides direct legal services and advocacy to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, delivers training and technical assistance to law enforcement, prosecutors, and service providers, conducts research and publishes reports on trafficking trends, and advocates for policy and legislative reform. It also operates a clinical fellowship and hosts an annual survivor symposium to advance survivor-centered responses to trafficking.
Product overview
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation is a non-profit legal institute housed within Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law that offers a portfolio of services focused on combating commercial sexual exploitation. The core offerings include the Annual Report on Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Pennsylvania (an annual publication tracking prosecutions and arrests), the Justice for Victims Clinical Fellowship (providing direct legal services to survivors including vacatur and expungement), the Annual Survivor Symposium (an educational event featuring survivor-led panels), Technical Assistance and Legal Research Services, Training and Education Programs for law enforcement, and resource publications including a Legal Guide for Vacatur Motions. These services are unified by the organization's mission to educate, provide technical assistance, and promote victim-centered, trauma-informed multidisciplinary collaboration.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Technical Assistance and Legal Research Services Specialized technical assistance and legal research support provided to criminal justice professionals, prosecutors, law enforcement, and legal practitioners addressing commercial sexual exploitation cases, with particular expertise in Pennsylvania's Act 105 and survivor-centered legal responses.
- Justice for Victims Clinical Fellowship A clinical fellowship program that trains and places participants to deliver direct legal services to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, combining supervised practice with anti-trafficking subject-matter training.
- Direct Legal Services and Advocacy for Survivors Direct, free legal representation and advocacy services provided to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, delivered through a survivor-centered, trauma-informed framework.
- Training and Education Programs Educational and training programs delivered to law enforcement, prosecutors, victim service providers, and other professionals to build capacity in identifying and responding to commercial sexual exploitation under Pennsylvania's Act 105.
- Annual Report on Commercial Sexual Exploitation in Pennsylvania An annual research publication documenting trends, case data, and policy analysis related to commercial sexual exploitation in Pennsylvania, used by practitioners, policymakers, and advocates.
- Vacatur Motions Legal Guide for Pennsylvania A practitioner legal guide published to support vacatur motions in Pennsylvania for survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, providing procedural and substantive guidance to attorneys and advocates.
- Annual Survivor Symposium An annual convening that brings together survivors, advocates, practitioners, and other stakeholders to advance survivor-centered responses to commercial sexual exploitation.
- Policy and Legislative Advocacy Policy and legislative advocacy work advancing survivor-centered, evidence-based reform of laws addressing commercial sexual exploitation, including support for the Equality Model framework.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 700 law enforcement, prosecutors, defense counsel, judiciary, and victim services community members trained on Act 105 implementation in Pennsylvania
Companies that use The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- The Salvation Army (New Day Drop-In Center)coreThe Justice for Victims Fellows provide regular community-based outreach through The Salvation Army's New Day Drop-In Center and other local safe houses, where they deliver Know Your Rights information, conduct legal triage, and gather data about challenges victims face.
- Philadelphia Defenders' Association / Defender Association of PhiladelphiacoreThe Justice for Victims Fellow serves as a staff attorney at the Defender Association of Philadelphia to provide legal representation to participants in the Project Dawn Court. The Defender Association has committed $50,000 over a 2-year period toward the Fellow's salary.
- Various anti-trafficking organizations and statewide work groupscoreThe CSE Institute collaborates with other anti-trafficking organizations to develop informational presentations reaching regional and national audiences and contributes to several statewide anti-trafficking work groups. National partnerships ensure Fellows can connect survivors with specialized attorneys across the country.
- Villanova University Charles Widger School of LawcoreThe Institute is housed within Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law. Faculty Advisor Professor Michelle M. Dempsey jointly supervises the Institute and its student externs alongside Director Shea M. Rhodes, Esq.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Thorn: Nonprofit building technology and training tools to combat child sexual exploitation, working with law enforcement and the tech industry. Comparable in providing training to law enforcement on trafficking response, though with a technology- and child-exploitation-specific lens rather than legal-services focus.
Direct peers
- Restore NYC: New York-based nonprofit providing long-term holistic services and legal advocacy to foreign-born survivors of sex trafficking. Comparable in delivering direct legal services plus wraparound support to trafficking survivors in a specific jurisdiction.
- GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services): New York-based nonprofit providing direct services, advocacy, and training to commercially sexually exploited and domestically trafficked girls and young women. Comparable as a survivor-services and justice-system training organization focused on commercial sexual exploitation of youth.
- Sanctuary for Families: New York-based nonprofit operating the largest NYC-based program serving survivors of trafficking and domestic violence, including legal representation and court advocacy. Comparable in offering trauma-informed direct legal services to survivors within a specific state ecosystem.
- Shared Hope International: National anti-trafficking organization focused on demand-side intervention, legislative reform, and the justice system response. Comparable as a policy-driven nonprofit advancing state-level trafficking statutes and training justice system stakeholders.
- Freedom Network USA: National coalition of trafficking survivor service providers, including legal service organizations. Comparable as a coordinating body for legal service providers doing direct representation, training, and policy advocacy on human trafficking.
- Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST): Los Angeles-based nonprofit providing direct legal services, advocacy, and training to survivors of human trafficking and slavery. Highly comparable model: clinical legal representation, policy advocacy, and training for justice system professionals serving trafficking survivors.
Broad incumbents
- Polaris Project: National anti-trafficking organization that operated the National Human Trafficking Hotline and ran major policy, data, and survivor service programs. Comparable as a broader incumbent in anti-trafficking policy and data reporting, though recently restructured its service-delivery operations.
- National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC): National nonprofit serving as a resource center on missing and exploited children, providing training, technical assistance, and recovery services. Comparable in working with law enforcement and serving child victims of exploitation, though at much broader scope and scale.
- A21 (The A21 Campaign): Global anti-trafficking nonprofit operating awareness campaigns, survivor services, and law enforcement training across multiple countries. Comparable in the justice-system training and survivor-services portfolio, though operating at much greater scale and geographic breadth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation social profiles
Digital presenceThe Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
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The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
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Frequently asked questions about The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation
What does The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation do?
The Institute is a non-profit legal institute within Villanova University Charles Widger School of Law that provides direct legal services and advocacy to survivors of commercial sexual exploitation, delivers training and technical assistance to law enforcement, prosecutors, and service providers, conducts research and publishes reports on trafficking trends, and advocates for policy and legislative reform. It also operates a clinical fellowship and hosts an annual survivor symposium to advance survivor-centered responses to trafficking.
Is The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation a public or private company?
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation founded?
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation was founded in 2014. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation based?
The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation is headquartered in Villanova, United States, in the North America region.
Who are The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation's main competitors?
Thorn is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Restore NYC, GEMS (Girls Educational and Mentoring Services), Sanctuary for Families, Shared Hope International, Freedom Network USA and Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST). Broad incumbents are Polaris Project, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and A21 (The A21 Campaign).
Does The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation.