In Texas Child Sex Trafficking Takes Center Stage for All but Backpage

As Texas prepares for the upcoming Super Bowl, law enforcement, local and national non-profit organizations, members of Congress and even professional football players have teamed up to announce zero tolerance for child sex trafficking. Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) met with Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert and Dallas police officials to learn more about efforts to crack down on the expected spike in sex trafficking surrounding the Super Bowl. Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott joined forces with the FBI in order to bring nearly two dozen staffers to assist law enforcement with combating human trafficking during the Super Bowl. Dallas Cowboy and three time Pro-Bowl player Jay Ratliff was outraged when he learned about child sex trafficking in America and he took a stand partnering with Dallas Anti-Trafficking Group Traffick 911 to endorse their I’m Not Buying It Campaign.

However, there is one player missing from the field: Backpage.com, the new leader in online prostitution advertisements.  Since the Craigslist adult services section shut down, Backpage has emerged as the leader in online trafficking.  Meanwhile, Backpage has taken steps in the right direction.  The company hired an internet security advisor who, according to reports, has put in place “a holistic plan centered around preventing criminal activity” on the website.  Yet, children are still being bought and sold on Backpage, so in spite of increased efforts we must recognize that the holistic plan simply is not enough. The Center for Missing and Exploited Children has rescued as many as17 children from sex slavery, and all of these children were found on Backpage.  And more recently, a CNN investigative report found cases all over the country of underage girls being sold for sex on Backpage.

Texas already ranks as one of the top states for trafficking.  The National Human Trafficking Hotline receives more calls from Texas than any other state. This is particularly concerning considering demand spikes when major sporting events come to town, as evidenced at the last two Super Bowls in Miami and Tampa. Prior to last years Super Bowl in Miami, federal agents acknowledged that “the Super Bowl is a big destination for child prostitution and adult prostitution.” Past Super Bowls have also shown that there is an the internet plays a major role in child sex trafficking.  At the 2009 Super Bowl, one trafficker used craigslist to advertise a “Super Bowl Special,” his victim was only 14 years old. With craigslist out of the picture, Backpage is primed to take over as child sex trafficking website during the Super Bowl.  The website has already seen an increase in traffic and revenue since the craigslist, the former Walmart of child sex trafficking, shut down.  We commend the local and national efforts that are happening in Texas now in order to prevent child sex trafficking, but we ask that Backpage join the team and stop allowing for child sex ads to be posted on their website.