Yes, and it's called CGI::escape. I don't think it's exported in any of the standard sets (:html3, :standard, etc. -- I think it's mostly for internal use; you can check this if you know enough Perl and look at the source for CGI.pm on your system) but you might be able to access it if you're using the OO interface:

my $q = CGI->new();
# stuff
$string = $q->escape($string);
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-- but that could be dangerous, you'd have to look at the source and see whether escape is designed as a method or not -- or, of course, by using its full name:

use CGI;
# stuff
$string= CGI::escape($string);
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I know the last one works, so that's usually what I use.

HTH

Philosophy can be made out of anything. Or less -- Jerry A. Fodor