CONGRESS FIGHTS BACK
Anti-Trafficking Bills passed by the House of Representatives and the US Senate make it possible for victims to fight back!
We all know that when the internet came around, the world was opened in newer and more exciting ways. Country boundary lines crumbled, global trade exploded, and cultures were able to interact and collaborate as never before. But not all of the evolution sparked by the invention of the internet were positive. The black market was given a more covert platform on which to operate, and communication within and between hate groups and crime sects was also bolstered.
With the growth of online trade, human traffickers were able to move their business online. Websites began to crop up where victims of all kinds of trafficking were bought and sold. Unfortunately, over the last 10 years, more and more platforms have sprung up to facilitate the exploitation of victims (males, females, and children) and their sale into lives of slavery.
In April of 2018, Congress passed an anti-trafficking bill which would allow victims to sue the websites on which they were bought and sold (Yoshihara). We are already seeing the effects of this law on the online environment. Many websites have already shut down as a result of the passage of these bills in the House and Senate, and others have taken steps to be in better compliance with the law. VerifyHim and NightShift have ceased activity. Erotic review, an online platform where men rate their experiences with sex trafficking victims, took down all online advertisement boards in the US. Craigslist's Personals web section was shut down and the company is introducing new policies for usage of the site. Similarly, Reddit introduced new policies and privatized many prostitution-related "Subreddits."
Anti trafficking organizations worldwide applaud Congress in this effort to snuff out the illegal trade of humans online. Many institutions, such as the International Supply Chain Initiative, are now urging the government to continue its efforts by reinstating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Only time will tell what next steps society will take against the horrendous crime of human trafficking, but one thing is for sure; its about to get a whole lot easier for victims to receive justice from online perpetrators who sold them into slavery.
As always, feel free to comment your thoughts below and visit our website, CASTColorado, for more information about human trafficking.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.
Anti-Trafficking Bills passed by the House of Representatives and the US Senate make it possible for victims to fight back!
We all know that when the internet came around, the world was opened in newer and more exciting ways. Country boundary lines crumbled, global trade exploded, and cultures were able to interact and collaborate as never before. But not all of the evolution sparked by the invention of the internet were positive. The black market was given a more covert platform on which to operate, and communication within and between hate groups and crime sects was also bolstered.
With the growth of online trade, human traffickers were able to move their business online. Websites began to crop up where victims of all kinds of trafficking were bought and sold. Unfortunately, over the last 10 years, more and more platforms have sprung up to facilitate the exploitation of victims (males, females, and children) and their sale into lives of slavery.
In April of 2018, Congress passed an anti-trafficking bill which would allow victims to sue the websites on which they were bought and sold (Yoshihara). We are already seeing the effects of this law on the online environment. Many websites have already shut down as a result of the passage of these bills in the House and Senate, and others have taken steps to be in better compliance with the law. VerifyHim and NightShift have ceased activity. Erotic review, an online platform where men rate their experiences with sex trafficking victims, took down all online advertisement boards in the US. Craigslist's Personals web section was shut down and the company is introducing new policies for usage of the site. Similarly, Reddit introduced new policies and privatized many prostitution-related "Subreddits."
The bill will now be passed on from the Senate to the desk of the President, where Trump says he will be excited to sign it into action.
Anti trafficking organizations worldwide applaud Congress in this effort to snuff out the illegal trade of humans online. Many institutions, such as the International Supply Chain Initiative, are now urging the government to continue its efforts by reinstating the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000. Only time will tell what next steps society will take against the horrendous crime of human trafficking, but one thing is for sure; its about to get a whole lot easier for victims to receive justice from online perpetrators who sold them into slavery.
As always, feel free to comment your thoughts below and visit our website, CASTColorado, for more information about human trafficking.
If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text 233733.
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