Attorney General Masto Urges Congressional Support of Legislation to Prevent Online Sex Trafficking Of Youth


October 20, 2014

Las Vegas, NV – Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto urges members of the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to support legislation that would help prevent children from being trafficked on the Internet, known as the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation Act (SAVE Act S. 2536).

“Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery, and its impact on our population deserves our full attention,” said Masto.  “The SAVE Act would provide more oversight of websites that facilitate sex transactions online.  This legislation is pivotal for law enforcement to be able to keep up with technological crimes and combat human trafficking in Nevada and across the country.”

Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal industry in the world, generating about $150 billion each year.  Children as young as 12 are being trafficked, and it is estimated that nearly 300,000 American youth are at risk of becoming victims of commercial sexual exploitation. 

The use of the “adult services sections” on websites such as Backpage.com has created virtual brothels where children are bought and sold using euphemistic labels such as “escorts”.  The SAVE Act would require websites that are facilitating trafficking to take steps to verify the identity of individuals posting advertisements and the age of those who appear in these advertisements.

Preventing children from being trafficked on the Internet has been a long-term interest of the National Association of Attorneys General (NAAG) and General Masto, who has been a member of NAAG’s Human Trafficking Committee since 2012.  Aside from securing the passage of AB 67 in Nev., which establishes the crime of sex trafficking for children and adults, General Masto recently hosted a summit that brought together legislators, law enforcement, judges, and service providers to address the issue of sex trafficking.  Moreover, General Masto launched a series of public service announcements (PSA) in both English and Spanish in an effort to bring awareness to and combat sex trafficking within the State.

The states and territories that signed today’s letter in support of the SAVE Act are: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Northern Mariana Islands, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia and Wyoming.

For more details on human trafficking and what you can do to combat this problem, visit our website at www.ag.nv.gov.  To view the PSA’s, click here.

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