My Turn: The battle against child sex slavery moves to the internet
My Turn: Websites like Backpage.com have hidden behind a broad interpretation of the law for too long.
No longer is "walking the strip” the most frequent means of being sold for sex. Now it is the internet.
Surely, our nation would have laws preventing children from being sold online for sex. Yes, there are laws. However, websites have found a way to cleverly post “escort ads” while hiding behind a broadly interpreted federal law, known as Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. This practice has been the basis of several lawsuits.
As Nelson Mandela said, “Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation.” How are we fostering the growth and development of our future, the future of the United States? Are we doing all that we can to protect our most valuable resource?
Unfortunately we are not.
100,000 kids forced into sex trafficking
An estimated 100,000 American children are forced into sex trafficking every year, according to a 2012 report by Shared Hope. What are we as a nation doing about this horrific crime that is weakening our nation?
We have an obligation to protect our children, to prize them as the treasure they are. Despite this, our youth are being sold for sex while the sellers and facilitators are prolifically profiting from the traumatization and abuse of our children, and thus tearing at the fabric of our society.
MORE: What sex trafficking really means
These child victims have not chosen this life of modern-day slavery; rather, they have been carefully selected and groomed by traffickers. They have been lied to, neglected, abused and forced to sell their bodies. They see none of the money. They have been deprived of the necessary tools to grow and develop into tomorrow’s future; our future.
Human Trafficking is a complex problem with many participants: traffickers/pimps, johns/buyers, facilitators and victims. January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. The 2017 Presidential Proclamation has vowed that “During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we resolve to shine a light on every dark corner where human trafficking still threatens the basic rights and freedoms of others.”
The new battleground: Websites
One dark corner of human trafficking are websites.
Websites have hidden behind a broadly interpreted Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act for too long. The case of Jane Doe No. 1 et al., v Backpage.com LLC, et al. is before the Supreme Court of the United States on petition for a Writ of Certiorari.
It is imperative that they grant a review, for as Frederick Douglass, abolitionist and statesman stated, "It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men."
MORE: Senate probe concludes Backpage.com concealed criminal evidence
At StreetLightUSA we understand this quote all too well. We are a residential facility for girls ages 11-17 who have been trafficked or have suffered sexual trauma. We do this through the support of many individuals, churches, corporations and the Arizona Foster Care Tax Credit.
We work daily to transition adolescent girls from trauma to triumph, repairing the lives of girls broken through the atrocity of sex trafficking.
Lynda J. Hartzler is community relations professional and director of Ambassadors for Change, StreetLightUSA. She is an attorney, registered nurse, wife and mother of five children. Twitter, @HartzlerLynda.
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