{"id":2177,"date":"2021-03-17T16:30:51","date_gmt":"2021-03-17T16:30:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.couleedevserver.com\/exodus\/?p=2177"},"modified":"2021-05-08T03:00:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-08T03:00:50","slug":"internet-marketplaces-and-child-trafficking-in-the-united-states","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.couleedevserver.com\/exodus\/internet-marketplaces-and-child-trafficking-in-the-united-states\/","title":{"rendered":"Internet Marketplaces and Child Trafficking in the United States"},"content":{"rendered":"[vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”3%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”3%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” id=”steps” row_name=”Sign Up Steps” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”top-bottom” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” offset=”vc_col-xs-12″][nectar_highlighted_text style=”text_outline” outline_thickness=”thin”]\n

Christmas Eve of 2016<\/em><\/h3>\n[\/nectar_highlighted_text][vc_column_text]Desiree Robinson was murdered and left on the floor of a garage in a southern suburb of Chicago. She was 16.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”70″][nectar_highlighted_text style=”text_outline” outline_thickness=”thin”]\n

One month before her death<\/em><\/h3>\n[\/nectar_highlighted_text][vc_column_text]Desiree had run away from her grandparent\u2019s home and met a man who sold her to a sex trafficker for $250. Her sex trafficker, Joseph Hazley, housed Desiree Robinson and a few other women in a house in Chicago\u2019s South Side. She worked in the suburbs near Midway Airport and Orland Park, occasionally in downtown Chicago. Her pimp posted Desiree on the site Backpage.com<\/i><\/b><\/a>, one of the largest online platforms for sex ads offering \u201ccompanions\u201d and \u201cescorts.\u201d Hazley listed Desiree under the name \u201cNicki,\u201d claiming she was \u201cnew in town\u201d and had no pimp. He drove her to meet with clients, sometimes up to six per day, and provided her clothing for her meetups. In their downtime, Hazley often had sex with the 16-year-old himself.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”70″][nectar_highlighted_text style=”text_outline” outline_thickness=”thin”]\n

Nine days before her death<\/em><\/h3>\n[\/nectar_highlighted_text][vc_column_text]Desiree messaged a friend that Hazley had trapped her. She wrote,[\/vc_column_text][nectar_icon_list animate=”true” color=”default” direction=”horizontal” columns=”1″ icon_size=”small” icon_style=”border”][nectar_icon_list_item icon_type=”icon” title=”List Item” id=”1616615781639-5″ text=”\u201cI\u2019m in a bad situation…He won\u2019t let me leave.\u201d” tab_id=”1616615781639-7″ icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”] [\/nectar_icon_list_item][\/nectar_icon_list][vc_column_text]She even called a former prostitute who had left Hazley\u2019s control, asking her how she finally left him.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”70″][nectar_highlighted_text style=”text_outline” outline_thickness=”thin”]\n

During the last few weeks of December<\/em><\/h3>\n[\/nectar_highlighted_text][vc_column_text]While other high-school-aged kids relaxed on Christmas break, Desiree worked for Hazley. When she finished with a customer, she would stand on curbs in the record-breaking cold, waiting for Hazley to pick her up. On Christmas Eve, a man in a southern Chicago suburb named Antonio Rosales answered Desiree\u2019s ad like many before him.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_image=”2237″ bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”12%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”12%” text_color=”light” text_align=”center” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” id=”cta” color_overlay=”#1a1a18″ overlay_strength=”0.5″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in-from-bottom”][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”200″][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”3%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”3%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]\n

He would be her last customer<\/h2>\n

In the dark, freezing hours of early morning, Hazley dropped Desiree off in front of a house where she worked as a dancer for a weekend garage party. Rosales paid for sex with teenaged Desiree. A few hours after she left the garage party, Rosales asked her to come back to the garage for another visit. Desiree entered the home for a second time as her pimp dozed in his car. In the garage, the party had ended, and Antonio Rosales asked for more time with Desiree, this time for free. When Desiree refused, Rosales beat Desiree, raped her, strangled her, and slit her throat. Rosales then left, walked to Hazley\u2019s car on the street, woke him by tapping on the glass, and said, \u201cYour friend will be out in a minute.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Antonio Rosales had left Desiree Robinson dead on the concrete floor of the garage. She was only 16.<\/a><\/p>\n

Desiree\u2019s mother, Yvonne Ambrose, filed a wrongful death suit for her daughter against Backpage, the listing site which had hosted sex ads advertising Desiree. Desiree\u2019s family joined the ranks of many others whose children had been sold through Backpage.[\/vc_column_text][nectar_icon_list animate=”true” color=”default” direction=”horizontal” columns=”1″ icon_size=”small” icon_style=”border”][nectar_icon_list_item icon_type=”icon” title=”List Item” id=”1616615781777-5″ text=”\u201cAs much as this hurts myself and my family,\u201d Ambrose said, \u201cI believe this has probably been going on for years, and nobody talks about it. Until somebody speaks up on the reality of everything, I think this is going to be a problem. And I decided I have to be the one to speak\u201d (Washington Post).” tab_id=”1616615781777-3″ icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”] [\/nectar_icon_list_item][\/nectar_icon_list][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_image=”2470″ bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”12%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”12%” text_color=”light” text_align=”center” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” id=”cta” color_overlay=”#1a1a18″ overlay_strength=”0.5″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in-from-bottom”][vc_column_text]\n

In the US, the internet is the most potent force shaping marketplaces for trafficked people.<\/h2>\n

A victim of human trafficking in the U.S. is more likely to be seen on your laptop than in a brothel. In 2018, internet-based commercial sex schemes represented 87.7% of commercial sex business models cited in criminal sex trafficking cases. Within these internet-based sex schemes, Backpage was one of the most prolific (The Human Trafficking Institute).<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”3%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”3%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]\n

In 2017, The United States Senate conducted hearings based on their investigations into Backpage.<\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

In addition to Desiree Robinson\u2019s story,\u00a0<\/span>the Senate heard testimony from Jessika.\u00a0When Jessika was 15 She ran away from home and bought a bus ticket for the distant city of Seattle. With no one to contact, Jessika eventually fell in with a pimp who prostituted her through Backpage for 108 days. Jessika testified that they made $1,500 a night through Backpage and that she had loved her pimp. He kept her safe, bought her clothes, and kept her fed. But then he became violent. The pimp beat her often. At one point, he nearly choked her to death in the back of a car. After 108 days, Jessika and her pimp were arrested. She was placed in the custody of her parents in her home state (Matsui, 2017).[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The Senate investigations found that not only did Backpage allow a 15-year-old like Jessika, or a 16-year-old like Desiree, to be posted on the site multiple times, but it allowed the sale of many other minors as well. Backpage \u201caccounted for 73% of the suspected child trafficking reports it receives from the public.\u201d (Senate Report) The Human Trafficking Institute found similarly high rates of child sex trafficking on Backpage. Of internet-based commercial sex schemes, Backpage was involved in 14 times the number of criminal sex trafficking cases than Craigslist, a site that offers similar services (Trafficking in Persons Report)<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_image=”2232″ bg_position=”center top” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”12%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”12%” text_color=”light” text_align=”center” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” id=”cta” color_overlay=”#1a1a18″ overlay_strength=”0.5″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in-from-bottom”][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”200″][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”in_container” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”3%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”3%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][vc_column_text]The sale of trafficked children on Backpage was primarily made possible due to the intentional scrubbing of underage search terms from posted ads. The moderators of the site had to scrub ads so frequently they had a routine process for stripping specific terms.[\/vc_column_text][nectar_icon_list animate=”true” color=”default” direction=”horizontal” columns=”1″ icon_size=”small” icon_style=”border”][nectar_icon_list_item icon_type=”icon” title=”List Item” id=”1616615781969-0″ text=”\u201cThe terms that Backpage has automatically deleted from ads before publication include \u2018lolita,\u2019 \u2018teenage,\u2019 \u2018rape,\u2019 \u2018young,\u2019 \u2018amber alert,\u2019 \u2018little girl,\u2019 \u2018teen,\u2019 \u2018fresh,\u2019 \u2018innocent,\u2019 and \u2018school girl.\u2019(Senate Report).” tab_id=”1616615781969-1″ icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”] [\/nectar_icon_list_item][\/nectar_icon_list][vc_column_text]When a user-submitted an adult ad containing one of these \u201cstripped\u201d words, Backpage\u2019s \u2018Strip Term From Ad\u2019 filter would immediately delete the discrete word, and the remainder of the ad would be published. Removing forbidden terms and allowing the original ad to remain on the site was a practice performed so frequently that by Backpage\u2019s internal report,\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][nectar_icon_list animate=”true” color=”default” direction=”horizontal” columns=”1″ icon_size=”small” icon_style=”border”][nectar_icon_list_item icon_type=”icon” title=”List Item” id=”1616615781992-5″ text=”\u201cthe company was editing \u201870 to 80% of ads\u2019 in the adult section either manually or automatically.\u201d (Senate Report).” tab_id=”1616615781993-7″ icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”] [\/nectar_icon_list_item][\/nectar_icon_list][vc_column_text]There is some evidence, however, that Backpage did forward tips of child sex trafficking to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and to law enforcement agencies. Backpage sourced that this forwarding of information to the appropriate agencies made them one of the best platforms to capture pedophiles. This point seems to be undercut by the fact that Backpage made clear in internal emails that ads must be entirely conspicuous to be removed by moderators or forwarded to the National Center For Missing and Exploited Children (Senate Report)<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][nectar_icon_list animate=”true” color=”default” direction=”horizontal” columns=”1″ icon_size=”small” icon_style=”border”][nectar_icon_list_item icon_type=”icon” title=”List Item” id=”1616615782018-7″ text=”\u201c…in February 2010, a detective emailed Backpage to alert the company that a 17-year-old girl who tried to get Backpage to take down an advertisement of herself had been rebuffed: According to the detective, the girl \u2018tried asking for `{`the ads`}` to be removed but was told they couldnt `{`sic`}` be until enough people reported her as potentially underage.\u2019\u201d (Senate Report).” tab_id=”1616615782018-6″ icon_fontawesome=”fa fa-quote-left”] [\/nectar_icon_list_item][\/nectar_icon_list][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_image=”2229″ bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”12%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”12%” text_color=”light” text_align=”center” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” id=”cta” color_overlay=”#1a1a18″ overlay_strength=”0.5″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in-from-bottom”][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”200″][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”3%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” id=”steps” row_name=”Sign Up Steps” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”top-bottom” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” offset=”vc_col-xs-12″][vc_column_text]Human trafficking can have physical, emotional, and psychological effects on anyone involved. It has the power to impact someone\u2019s life forever. Here are some common ways human trafficking affects victims and perpetrators.\u00a0As you read through this section, keep in mind that many traffickers also experience trauma because of what they see and do to others, and many traffickers have been victimized themselves at some point in their lives.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”40″][nectar_highlighted_text color_type=”regular” highlight_color=”#ec5540″ style=”half_text”]\n

Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act <\/em><\/h3>\n[\/nectar_highlighted_text][vc_column_text]In April 2018, the US Government shut down Backpage.com. With the use of new legislation called the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, or FOSTA<\/a>, the site would no longer be able to host sexual ads. FOSTA would not only target Backpage, but many other sites hosting ads for prostitutes. In the Oval Office, as President Trump signed FOSTA into law, Desiree Robinson\u2019s mother, Yvonne Ambrose, stood near him. She wiped tears from her eyes. Over his left shoulder, Jessika cried alongside her family (C-SPAN)<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FOSTA punctured the nearly bulletproof Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act. Essentially, FOSTA now forces websites to determine what they allow their users to generate. Website administrators may now face a ten-year sentence for facilitating user-generated content offering sex, and additionally, \u201cenhanced penalties\u201d of up to 25 years for facilitating the prostitution of five or more persons, or in cases of sex trafficking.\u201d (FOSTA).[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”40″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” bg_image=”2249″ bg_position=”center center” bg_repeat=”no-repeat” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”12%” constrain_group_1=”yes” bottom_padding=”12%” text_color=”light” text_align=”center” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” id=”cta” color_overlay=”#1a1a18″ overlay_strength=”0.5″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in-from-bottom”][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”2\/3″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” enable_animation=”true” animation=”fade-in”][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”200″][\/vc_column][vc_column column_padding=”no-extra-padding” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”all” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/6″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none”][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row type=”full_width_background” full_screen_row_position=”middle” column_margin=”default” equal_height=”yes” content_placement=”middle” column_direction=”default” column_direction_tablet=”default” column_direction_phone=”default” scene_position=”center” top_padding=”3%” text_color=”dark” text_align=”left” row_border_radius=”none” row_border_radius_applies=”bg” id=”steps” row_name=”Sign Up Steps” overlay_strength=”0.3″ gradient_direction=”left_to_right” shape_divider_position=”bottom” bg_image_animation=”none” shape_type=””][vc_column column_padding=”padding-2-percent” column_padding_tablet=”inherit” column_padding_phone=”inherit” column_padding_position=”top-bottom” background_color_opacity=”1″ background_hover_color_opacity=”1″ column_shadow=”none” column_border_radius=”none” column_link_target=”_self” gradient_direction=”left_to_right” overlay_strength=”0.3″ width=”1\/1″ tablet_width_inherit=”default” tablet_text_alignment=”default” phone_text_alignment=”default” column_border_width=”none” column_border_style=”solid” bg_image_animation=”none” offset=”vc_col-xs-12″][vc_column_text]\n

Undoubtedly, it is valuable to identify and shut down marketplaces offering trafficked children.<\/h2>\n

 <\/p>\n

Intervening in the direct sale of minors is crucial in the fight against child sex trafficking. A story like Desiree Robinson\u2019s, or Jessika\u2019s, highlights just how vital it is to remove normalized avenues for criminals to access sex with minors. Their stories also emphasize how instrumental the internet is for their traffickers to contact greater numbers of clients. However, the venue of sale is only the final destination in a supply chain. In the United States, the supply chain feeding trafficked children to online marketplaces tends to be from kids with shared vulnerabilities.[\/vc_column_text][divider line_type=”No Line” custom_height=”40″][nectar_highlighted_text color_type=”regular” highlight_color=”#ec5540″ style=”half_text”]\n

Trafficked children in the U.S.<\/em><\/h3>\n[\/nectar_highlighted_text][vc_column_text]\n