Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today urged members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to support legislation that would help prevent children from being trafficked on the Internet.
Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, generating about $150 billion each year. Shockingly, there are numerous cases nationally of children being used in prostitution as young as 12. The FBI estimates that nearly 300,000 American youths are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation.
In a letter co-signed by 53 state and territorial attorneys general, Kilmartin and the others asked members of the Senate Judiciary Committee for their support of the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act (SAVE) Act (S. 2536), which would provide more oversight of websites that facilitate "adult services," such as Backpage.com.
"Websites like Backpage.com are hiding behind the First Amendment to shirk any responsibility for the illegal trafficking and abuse of young people. Their refusal and inaction to ensure that individuals who post on their site are not using it for illegal sex trafficking of minors is, in my opinion, tantamount to being an accomplice in the act," said Attorney General Kilmartin, who has been a leading voice in trying to bring greater oversight and regulation of such websites.
Kilmartin noted that law enforcement and courts have recognized that the Internet has become a favored means for advertising the availability of children for sex. Internet ads can be purchased in multiple locations with the click of a button.
This allows human traffickers to maximize their profit and evade detection by moving victims quickly to lucrative venues where there is significant demand for commercial sex. Kilmartin said organized crime groups and street gangs use the Internet to sell their victims as well, which is why passage of the SAVE Act is particularly critical.
The use of the "adult services sections" on websites such as Backpage.com has created virtual brothels where children are bought and sold using euphemistic labels such as "escorts." The SAVE Act would require these websites that are facilitating trafficking through their very business model to take steps to verify the identity of individuals posting advertisements and the age of those who appear in these advertisements.
In just one week this June, law enforcement arrested 281 alleged sex traffickers and took 168 children out of prostitution in a nationwide FBI crackdown where many child victims were offered for sale on "escort" and other "adult services" websites.
Rhode Island has seen an increase of arrests and indictments charging multiple individuals with using backpage.com to pimp out underage girls. Recently, the Office of Attorney General indicted two men for sexual assault and human trafficking of a 16-year old girl who they posted as an escort on backpage.com.
In July, Warwick Police arrested one individual, and issued warrants for two others, for trafficking a 17-year old runaway. While searching for her, the family found their daughter's photo on an advertisement for sex on backpage.com.
Preventing kids from being trafficked on the Internet has been a long-term interest of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG). NAAG has taken several actions regarding Backpage.com and similar websites, including requesting that these exploitive websites shut down their "adult services" sections which fuel the online trafficking of youth.