Not for Sale
By Rep. Kristi Noem
There was a sting operation conducted in Watertown in February 2013. Undercover ads were placed on a website that’s known for trafficking young girls for sex called Backpage. Over the course of two days, the ad received 110 responses.
This is not a major city. It’s someone’s hometown. It’s a place with a sense of community – a place built on the idea of a strong family and an understanding of what’s right and what’s wrong. And yet even in this community, websites like Backpage have been able to facilitate the buying and selling of our children.
As we saw in the Watertown sting operation, criminals use the internet to hide their disgusting requests. In fact, studies have shown around 70 percent of child sex trafficking survivors were at some point sold online. Websites like Backpage are profiting immensely because of it.
By some reports, Backpage is responsible for 70 percent of prostitution advertising among the major websites that carry such ads. And it’s believed that more than 90 percent of Backpage’s profits come from their adult advertisements.
These “adult advertisements” may have contained adult content, but in many cases, it was children they were selling. According to court documents filed with the California Department of Justice, these sales earn the owners of Backpage between $1.5 million and $2.5 million a month in California alone.
With this evidence in mind, it’s clear Backpage is a standout in this area. Their business model relies on the buying and selling of human beings, and it needs to end.
Knowing this, the House passed the Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, which I cosponsored. This bill aims to crack down on websites that knowingly facilitate the buying and selling of our children. It makes sure states and victims have the tools they need to hold these sickening websites legally accountable. After all, sex predators should never be able to find immunity by hiding behind a computer screen.
Additionally, work continues on legislation I introduced to expand housing opportunities for survivors. In many cases, those who have been trafficked require stronger security protocols and different support services than other victims of violence. My legislation is designed to extend transitional housing, healing and hope to many more trafficking survivors.
But not every solution to human trafficking is a federal solution. You too can play a role by learning what to look out for. The U.S. State Department includes these among the red flags: living with an employer, poor living conditions, multiple people in a cramped space, inability to speak to an individual alone, signs of physical abuse, and submissive or fearful behavior. For urgent situations, dial 911. You may also call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
Every 30 seconds, a child is sold for sex. While we often think of it as a problem that primarily exists overseas, the reality is that it occurs in our backyards too. We have to fight back. We have to let the world know that our kids are not for sale.
I’m glad to hear Kristi has a heart for the victims of sex crimes. Does she also care about the victims of crimes perpetrated by Islamic “refugees”? I’ve never heard her speak on that issue.
Many Islamic “refugees” have committed sex crimes. Did you hear about the “refugee” who disguised himself as a nurse which allowed him to enter a hospital and then he attempted to rape a women who was in labor? Or how about the “refugee” who hid in a woman’s restroom and while a woman was in a stall, he crawled into that stall and began to choke and rape her? Disgusting.
I haven’t heard Kristi speak on the issue either. I doubt she will, it could potentially hurt her campaign. Don’t want to risk being called a racist or bigot or the fringe or whatever the word of the day is for people concerned about Islamic terrorism.