The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation (CAASE) is a left-of-center public-interest law firm focused on issues of sexual violence and exploitation. The organization supports the partial decriminalization of sex work and an “intersectional” approach that frames issues such as widespread and systemic racism, transphobia, and other forms of oppression as necessarily linked to the issue of sexual violence. The organization provides various pro-bono legal services to victims of sexual violence, including securing protective orders and filing of civil lawsuits. ^{1 2 3}

Finances

In 2021, the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation reported $2,625,857 in revenue, of which $2,620,259 was derived from contributions and grants and the remaining $5,598 was derived from program service revenue. CAASE reported $2,418,460 in expenses, of which $1,935,776 were spent on salaries and compensation. It ended the year with $939,293 in net assets. ⁴

Financial supporters include the Polk Brothers Foundation, the Greer Foundation, and the Paul M. Angell Foundation. ¹

Issue Areas

The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation has five main issue areas. ²

Rights for Victims and Restorative Justice

CAASE works to reform various aspects of the criminal justice system related to victims of sexual assault. These include initiatives to allow people who have been sex trafficked to expunge their criminal records, laws to prevent police from executing warrants against people who are reporting being raped, and ending felony prosecution for engaging in prostitution. CAASE also works to improve the efficiency of rape-kit processing. ⁵

CAASE also promotes what it calls “reformative justice practices.” These practices include less emphasis on imprisoning offenders and more focus on offender-victim dialogue, abolition of sex offender registries, and the abolition of pre-trial bail. ⁶

Sex Work

CAASE advocates for the partial decriminalization of sex work. Under CAASE’s proposed system, people who sell sex would not be prosecuted, but buyers and pimps could be prosecuted. ⁷

Intersectionality

CAASE supports an “intersectional” approach to sexual violence prevention, claiming that allegedly racist policing is linked to gender-based violence. It claims that “patriarchy” and “white supremacy” are systemic forces in society that are linked together with sexual violence. Similarly, CAASE argues that policies that promote “economic justice” are necessary to combat sexual violence. ⁸

Abortion

CAASE supports access to abortion. It has supported legislation that removed requirements that parents be notified if their minor child was going to receive an abortion. In addition to access to abortion, CAASE states that reproductive rights include a variety of other issues as well, including the right to sexual education, the right to contraception access, and “adequate wages”. ⁹

Projects and Initiatives

Education

The Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation provides educational workshops related to sexual exploitation and “rape culture” for high schools. These workshops include sessions on “sexting” and “gender, sex, and sexuality.” ¹⁰

Legal Services

CAASE provides a variety of pro-bono legal services. These services include securing protection orders from courts; civil lawsuits against sexual predators, employers, and schools; and assistance with clearing criminal records. ³

Lobbying

CAASE has lobbied for a variety of legislation in Illinois focused on various aspects of sexual exploitation. Notably, CAASE has an “intersectional” approach, claiming that sexual exploitation is rooted in “oppression” via “sexism, racism, classism, ableism, heterosexism, and transphobia” which must be overthrown for systemic change to occur. ¹¹

Leadership

Kaethe Morris Hoffer is the executive director of the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation. She has worked for CAASE since 2009, when a nonprofit that she had founded joined CAASE. She has been very active in international, federal, and state-level activism focused on left-wing women’s interests. ¹²

1. “Vision, Mission, and Values – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://www.caase.org/mission/.
2. “Issues – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://www.caase.org/issues/.
3. “Legal Services – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 21, 2023. https://www.caase.org/legal-services/.
4. Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, Return from an Organization Exempt from Taxation (Form 990), 2021 Part I
5. “Rights for Victims – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://www.caase.org/issue-rights-for-victims/.
6. “Restorative Justice – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://www.caase.org/issue-restorative-justice/.
7. “Decriminalize Selling Sex – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://www.caase.org/issue-decriminalize-selling-sex/.
8.  “Black Lives Matter – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://www.caase.org/issue-black-lives-matter/.
9.  “Reproductive Rights – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://www.caase.org/issue-reproductive-rights/.
10. “Prevention Education – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 21, 2023. https://www.caase.org/prevention/.
11. “Legislative Priorities – CAASE.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 21, 2023. https://www.caase.org/legislative-priorities/.
12. “Kaethe Morris Hoffer.” CAASE.org. Accessed July 20, 2023. https://www.caase.org/team/kaethe-morris-hoffer/.