January 30, 2020
Dear Fellow Traveler,

Based on the motion approved by the ABC in April 2019, the Addressing Predatory Behavior working group is presenting the tent card “ACA Commitment to Addressing Predatory Behavior” for fellowship review.

This document was developed by the APB working group to provide meetings with a first conference- approved tool to help them address predatory behavior occurring in and around ACA meetings. It was drafted by the working group and then revised based on a fellowship wide group conscience process via Town Hall conference calls in the summer of 2019. In October 2019, the revised document was approved by the ACA WSO Board of Trustees for preliminary publication based on the motion passed by the ABC.

Predatory behavior, as we understand it, occurs when members act out their childhood behavior by becoming victimizers themselves in and around meetings, in interactions with other members of the fellowship. Having learned to detect and take advantage of those who have not yet learned to trust their instincts or set healthy boundaries, they exploit this weakness to solicit emotional gratification, personal or financial favors, and romance or sexual encounters.

We believe that it is our responsibility to keep our meetings safe by openly addressing predatory behavior, should it occur. The ACA Commitment to Addressing Predatory Behavior was developed as a tent card to serve as a reminder of this, and to offer immediate access to some of the resources that have been already developed within the fellowship and made available by the APB working group on acawso.com.

The ACA Commitment to Addressing Predatory Behavior can be incorporated into your meeting format in several different ways – as a tent card, it can be placed on a table in the center of the room or in another prominent location where members can read it during the meeting. Some meetings may choose to read it as part of their opening; or to pass it around for members to review while the meeting is in progress.

An electronic version of this document is now available for download at https://adultchildren.org/free-literature-english-translated/. This is a preliminary publication, pending final approval by the ABC. Through November 30, 2020, all members are welcome to submit feedback on the ACA Commitment to Addressing Predatory Behavior by sending an e-mail to liteval@acawso.org. This feedback may include comments about language; or it may include observations about how you use the document in your meetings and suggestions for additional resources. Once the feedback period has closed, we will review any feedback received and consider it when presenting the document to the ABC 2021 for final approval.

We hope you find this document helpful in keeping your meeting safe for all, particularly newcomers! In service,

Karin S.
Chair, APB working group

Charlie H.,
Chair, ACA WSO Board of Trustees