Amanda Simmons Helps Produce Part 2 of the ABA’s Webinar Series on the Troubled Teen Industry

As part of an ongoing commitment to educate the legal system on the risks of institutional child abuse in the troubled teen industry, Attorney Amanda Simmons helped produce a three-part webinar series with the SOGI Commission of the American Bar Association.  

The American Bar Association’s Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity (SOGI) Committee works to advance the rights and inclusion of LGBTQ+ individuals within the legal profession and broader society. The committee focuses on education, advocacy, and policy reform to combat discrimination and promote equal treatment under the law. It provides resources, support, and networking opportunities for LGBTQ+ lawyers and allies, fostering a more inclusive and equitable legal community.

This 3-part ABA webinar series explores the history, policy solutions, and legal challenges and presents practical solutions for effective change.  Resolution 605 was adopted by the American Bar  Association in 2023 because of decades of well-documented abuse within the Troubled Teen Industry and youth residential treatment centers.  Despite this awareness, little has been done to protect children in institutional settings. 

Despite decades of knowledge about challenges in congregate care settings, meaningful change has proven exceptionally difficult to achieve.  This panel, led by survivor and policy expert, Caroline Cole, discusses the challenges and opportunities for effective policy change at the federal, state, and local levels as well as the additional policy challenges for protecting the civil rights of marginalized groups.  ABA Introduction by Skip Harsch, SOGI Director.

About the speakers

• Congressman Ro Khanna, California's 17th Congressional District

• Cassandra Sanchez, Child Advocate, NH Office of the Child Advocate

• Emily Virgin, Human Rights for Kids

• Tracie Johnson, Youth Ombudsperson,  the City of Philadelphia

Co-Sponsors 

• Human Rights for Kids

• The National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges

• National Center for Lesbian Rights

• 11:11 Media Impact

• ABA Section  on Civil Rights and Social Justice

• ABA Commission on Homelessness and Poverty

• ABA Center for Children and the Law

• ABA Litigation Section

• ABA Section of Family Law ‍

About Amanda Simmons 

Amanda Simmons leads Ambika Law, PC, a firm dedicated to special education, children’s rights, and combating institutional child abuse. As a survivor-advocate of child sexual assault within the troubled teen industry, she focuses on trauma-informed, victim-centric representation for vulnerable children and educates the legal system on institutional child abuse, frequently speaking on these issues.

Links: 

• Access the Webinar 2 Recording

• Access the ABA’s Webinar 2 landing page 

Citation: 

Simmons, Amanda. “Resolution 605, SICAA and Beyond: Impactful Legislative Changes and the Disparate Impact on LGBTQ Youth.” ABA, May 16, 2024. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/sexual_orientation/events_cle/webinar-series-troubled-teen-industry-2024/.