Delaware News

Biden and 48 Attorneys General urge Congress to fight prostitution and child sex trafficking by amending federal law

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Thursday, July 25, 2013



Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden has joined a bi-partisan coalition of 49 Attorneys General who this week urged Congress to amend federal law to help fight prostitution and child sex trafficking.  In a letter sent yesterday to Congressional leaders, Biden and his fellow Attorneys General urged Congress to amend the Communications Decency Act to provide state jurisdiction over online sites that facilitate prostitution and child sex trafficking.

Drafted in 1996 when the internet was in its infancy, the Communications Decency Act was intended to protect children from accessing indecent material online.  Since its enactment, courts have interpreted certain provisions of the Act to provide immunity from State prosecution to online classified ad sites, such as Backpage.com, that promote and profit from human trafficking.  Biden and his fellow Attorneys General believe that criminal jurisdiction over these sites, currently limited to federal authorities, needs to be extended to the states to effectively combat these crimes.

“Prostitution is a state crime, and our prosecutors, along with our state and local law enforcement partners, should have full authority under the law to investigate and prosecute those who attempt to hide behind the internet to facilitate prostitution or sex trafficking in Delaware,” Biden said.

Prosecutors across the country report the rapid growth of prostitution solicitations online.  Backpage.com, for example, generates an estimated $3 million to $4 million per month in revenue.  As online advertising of child prostitution goes unchecked, sex traffickers are able to expand their businesses, magnifying the scope of the problem.  In their letter to Congress the Attorney Generals highlighted three cases of prostitution and sex trafficking in the last few months alone that were facilitated through advertisements on Backpage.com.  On March 28, Miami police arrested a man for advertising the sex services of a 13-year-old girl.  Two months earlier, two men were arrested in Fairfax County, Virginia for prostituting four minors on Backpage.com.  And in April, five defendants were arrested in St. Paul, Minnesota for running a prostitution ring in which eight girls and women ages 15 to 40 were advertised on the site.

“Federal enforcement alone has proven insufficient to stem the growth of internet-facilitated child sex trafficking,” the Attorneys General stated in their letter.  “Those on the front lines of the battle against the sexual exploitation of children – State and local law enforcement – must be granted the authority to investigate and prosecute those who facilitate these horrible crimes.”

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Final CDA Sign On Letter

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Biden and 48 Attorneys General urge Congress to fight prostitution and child sex trafficking by amending federal law

Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Thursday, July 25, 2013



Wilmington – Attorney General Beau Biden has joined a bi-partisan coalition of 49 Attorneys General who this week urged Congress to amend federal law to help fight prostitution and child sex trafficking.  In a letter sent yesterday to Congressional leaders, Biden and his fellow Attorneys General urged Congress to amend the Communications Decency Act to provide state jurisdiction over online sites that facilitate prostitution and child sex trafficking.

Drafted in 1996 when the internet was in its infancy, the Communications Decency Act was intended to protect children from accessing indecent material online.  Since its enactment, courts have interpreted certain provisions of the Act to provide immunity from State prosecution to online classified ad sites, such as Backpage.com, that promote and profit from human trafficking.  Biden and his fellow Attorneys General believe that criminal jurisdiction over these sites, currently limited to federal authorities, needs to be extended to the states to effectively combat these crimes.

“Prostitution is a state crime, and our prosecutors, along with our state and local law enforcement partners, should have full authority under the law to investigate and prosecute those who attempt to hide behind the internet to facilitate prostitution or sex trafficking in Delaware,” Biden said.

Prosecutors across the country report the rapid growth of prostitution solicitations online.  Backpage.com, for example, generates an estimated $3 million to $4 million per month in revenue.  As online advertising of child prostitution goes unchecked, sex traffickers are able to expand their businesses, magnifying the scope of the problem.  In their letter to Congress the Attorney Generals highlighted three cases of prostitution and sex trafficking in the last few months alone that were facilitated through advertisements on Backpage.com.  On March 28, Miami police arrested a man for advertising the sex services of a 13-year-old girl.  Two months earlier, two men were arrested in Fairfax County, Virginia for prostituting four minors on Backpage.com.  And in April, five defendants were arrested in St. Paul, Minnesota for running a prostitution ring in which eight girls and women ages 15 to 40 were advertised on the site.

“Federal enforcement alone has proven insufficient to stem the growth of internet-facilitated child sex trafficking,” the Attorneys General stated in their letter.  “Those on the front lines of the battle against the sexual exploitation of children – State and local law enforcement – must be granted the authority to investigate and prosecute those who facilitate these horrible crimes.”

# # #

Final CDA Sign On Letter

image_printPrint


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.