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COLLEAGUE 1
Politicians often read polls, but they realize that even accurate polls cannot predict future public opinion changes. Politicians often gauge public opinion through the mail from constituents and talk to constituents in their legislative offices and home districts. (Jansson, B. S. (2018). The publics' opinion of domestic is the same across the board. It is not discriminated against, and it can affect everyone.

Public opinion influences political approaches by holding elections. The electoral process is very aggressive and offers a way of solving issues. The candidate that wins an election can play a big part in influencing the community to vote for specific topics like domestic violence.

They need political skills to gain and use power and to develop and implement the political strategy. They need interactional skills to participate in task groups, such as committees and coalitions, and to persuade others to support specific policies. (Jansson, B. S. (2018). When a politician practices these skills, it can influence the community that they are serving. This is very important when a social problem like domestic violence occurs.

Implications of my approach would be to build more programs and shelters for anyone that are victims of domestic violence. As a social worker, it is essential to also work with the elected officials in the community to serve their community. 

Resource

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice. (8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.


Colleague 2

s the importance of public opinion in addressing the sexual trafficking and exploitation of minors. A description of how public opinion influences political approaches to this issue is given. Lastly, policy advocacy approaches and skills applicable to the social issue of child sex trafficking are explained, including potential social justice implications of these approaches.

Crucial to interest groups, legislators, and Bureaucrats are the personal histories and professional connections among them. Jansson (2018 ) refers to these tight-knit relationships as “Iron triangles,” which can form among civil servants, legislatures, and other stakeholders, impacting how policy is developed and enacted. Nonetheless, public opinion holds relevance in this process as unpopular decisions and scandals on behalf of Legislators can quickly affect both their reputation and career. They state, Legislators often try to implement programs in ways that will please their constituents, as illustrated by politicians who oppose placing mental health facilities and prisons in their districts” (p.11-112).

Public opinion on the commercial sexual exploitation of minors holds significance for currently enacted state policies and statutes. Many states still acknowledge and treat these young individuals as offenders for prostitution and respond by detaining, prosecuting, and processing them through the legal systems.  Annitto (2011) affirms by stating “Many victims and survivors of this exploitation, upon discovery on the streets or otherwise, are arrested, prosecuted, locked up with an array of offenders, and offered little relevant treatment or care for their trauma” (p. 4).

Annitto goes on to state that the arrest of children for prostitution displays the “confused legal status of minors in our society” and should raise various questions and implications for advocacy. This confusion alludes to public misinformation and illiteracy on the issue of this form of exploitation. A need for reconciliation between the myths surrounding prostitution and statutory rape must make its way to the court systems, where this conflict stands blaring in the statutes behind punishing and blaming young victims. Advocacy to appropriations committees can serve as an appropriate measure to obtain program funding that could educate the public on the nature of sexual exploitation and how to best serve our youth (Jansson, 2018).

Conclusively, public opinion facilitates action on the part of stakeholders to enact change on any given social issue. This component is imperative to effective advocacy, particularly as it pertains to the commercial sexual exploitation of our youth. Where myth, confusion, and conflicting policies create severe risk for these youth, pushing appropriations committees for funding and developing educational programs can serve as beneficial.

References:

Annitto, M. (2011). Consent, Coercion, and Compassion: Emerging Legal Responses to the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Minors. Yale Law & Policy Review, 30, 1.

Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social justice. 
(8th ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole Cengage Learning Series.