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sex trafficking

Washington-based groups receive $2.6 million in federal funds to fight human trafficking

By • Sep 22, 2020
U.S. Attorney General William Barr arrives for a panel discussion on combatting human trafficking on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, in Atlanta. The Department of Justice is distributing nearly $100 million to fight human trafficking nationwide.
Brynn Anderson / The Associated Press

The U.S. Department of Justice is giving out nearly $100 million dollars to fight human trafficking nationwide. The recipients include six Washington-based organizations that help trafficking victims. In total, the groups will receive a combined $2.6 million. 

Backpage Shuts Down Adult Ads In The U.S., Citing Government Pressure

By • Jan 10, 2017

The online classified website Backpage.com said it has suspended its adult ad pages, citing government pressure about the content being shared there.

A 2016 Senate report called the website the "largest commercial sex services advertising platform in the United States" and said that "Backpage officials have publicly acknowledged that criminals use the website for sex trafficking, including trafficking of minors."

Is Sex Trafficking Happening At Your Workplace?

By • Sep 30, 2015
Paula WIssel

Sex trafficking of minors and others coerced into prostitution is only possible when there is a market. According to the advocacy group Businesses Ending Slavery & Trafficking, one way to stem that demand is to get workplaces involved.

Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Against Backpage.com Can Move Forward

By • Sep 3, 2015
Rachel La Corte / AP

The Washington Supreme Court has ruled a lawsuit against Backpage.com can move forward. The lawsuit alleges Backpage was complicit in the sex trafficking of minors.

King County Flips The Script On Prostitution, Targeting Buyers Instead Of Sex Workers

By • Oct 15, 2014
Elaine Thompson / AP Photo

Law enforcement authorities in King County have announced a major change in how they go after prostitution. They said they plan to stop targeting prostituted women, and train their sites instead on the men paying for sex.

Police and advocates say prostituted women have long been targeted for arrest – 10 times more often than the buyers, according to the Washington State Patrol.

Buyers Of Underage Sex Get Little Jail Time, New Study Shows

By • Aug 26, 2014
Arizona State University/Shared Hope International

Men who are convicted of paying for sex with minors are unlikely to serve much time behind bars, says the finding of new research conducted by Arizona State University and released by Shared Hope International, an organization trying to stop sex trafficking.

The study examined 134 cases in Seattle, Phoenix, Portland and Baltimore-Washington, D.C.

Sex-Trafficking Victim: 'I Had Nothing to Run to'

By & • Aug 13, 2013

Nicole was 17 when she met the man who changed her life.

“I met a guy. He put the charms on me, and I fell for it,” she said.

Soon, Nicole found herself on the streets of Seattle and Tacoma, earning money for that same man as a sex worker. 

Update: Attorneys turn up the heat on Backpage, child sex trade

By & • Aug 31, 2011

Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna and 45 other attorneys general today called for information about how Backpage.com presumably attempts to remove advertising for sex trafficking, especially ads that could involve minors.

Meanwhile, Snohomish County has received a $450,000 federal grant to combat child sex trafficking.

Seattle confronts child prostitution problem after FBI sweeps

By • Jan 18, 2011
Photo courtesy of Women's Funding Alliance.

Two years ago, the city of Seattle got the results of a harrowing study: it estimated as many as 500 children in King County are involved in prostitution. 

More recently, FBI sweeps have found more girls victimized here than anywhere else in the country. Seattle is identified by the FBI as one of the top ten human trafficking centers in the country - due in part, perhaps, to more effective law enforcement.