MIM Joins AGs Seeking More Help To Fight Sex Trafficking
WASHINGTON, D.C. (July 24, 2013) – Morality in Media supports the effort of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) to allow state and local governments to crack down on sex trafficking. In the NAAG letter to Congress signed by 49 state and territorial attorneys general, they call on Congress to amend the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to let state and local governments investigate and prosecute websites that promote child and adult sex trafficking.
“In the fight against sex trafficking, all criminal justice tools and resources are needed. It makes no sense to restrict jurisdiction to the federal government. This amendment will assure that all involved in sex trafficking are subject to justice,” said Patrick A. Trueman. Trueman is the President of Morality in Media and former chief of the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section at the U.S. Department of Justice.
“Websites such as Backpage use pornographic images to entice clients and increase the demand for trafficked women,” Trueman added. The CDA has become a shield to protect such sites.
A peer-reviewed article published by Johns Hopkins’ University details the links between pornography and sex trafficking. Curbing pornography can reduce the demand for sex trafficking. Trafficked persons are additionally used in the production of pornography.
