Dear Senator Portman and Senator Blumenthal, A couple of decades ago sex traffickers and buyers conducted their illegal transactions in dark alleys and back streets. Today these criminal transactions have moved online. Although the location has changed, the crime remains the same and so must our response to those who facilitate and enable it. In […]
What’s in a Name?
Lack of Consistency in Child Sex Trafficking Laws May Hurt Our Children By Christine Raino and Eliza Reock What’s in a name? A lot, actually. In the area of anti-sex trafficking law and policy, words and definitions matter. They have the ability to affect thousands of lives of individuals who have survived sex trafficking. In […]
Backpage.com Shuts Down “Adult” Section as Victims Pursue Justice
Overnight, Backpage.com announced the shutdown of its “adult services” section of the classifieds website. This announcement came on the eve of Backpage.com’s executives and general counsel appearing at a hearing today before the U.S. Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations (PSI) to answer questions about the committee’s report stating that Backpage.com knowingly posted advertisements for the sale of sex […]
Penalties Without Victim Protections and State Investment Fall Short
Identifying Effective Counter-Trafficking Programs and Practices in the U.S.: Legislative, Legal, and Public Opinion Strategies that Work is a recent study that examines arrests or prosecutions under state human trafficking laws and public perceptions of human trafficking. The key findings in this study point to the need for comprehensive legislation that goes beyond criminal penalties […]
Maricopa County Prosecution Wins Guilty Verdict for Buyer in 20 Minutes
Prosecutors in Phoenix are celebrating a major victory this week after securing a guilty verdict for a man convicted under Arizona’s “child prostitution” law for attempting to buy sex with a law enforcement officer who he believed to be a 16 year old girl. According to Maricopa County Attorney Bill Montgomery, this is the first […]
