Friday, July 02, 2010
On July 8, the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), Prostitution Research and Education (PRE) and over 75 Co-Sponsors will protest Craigslist's facilitation of sex trafficking at Craigslist's office in San Francisco.The group says a large portion of Craigslist's profits come from the sale of commercial sexual exploitation, much of it trafficked, all of it prostituted. Craigslist normalizes and facilitates online pimping - providing an outlet and incentive for sex traffickers to reach buyers of human beings. "By providing traffickers and johns with a virtual red light district, Craigslist is aiding, abetting and enormously profiting from sex trafficking," says Norma Ramos, Executive Director of CATW.
The protest is co-sponsored by 75 leading human rights and anti-trafficking organizations and prominent individuals including Equality Now, End Child Prostitution and Trafficking (ECPAT-USA), Center for World Indigenous Studies, Soroptimists International of the Americas, Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence, Canadian Association of Sexual Assault Centres, Asian Americans for Community Involvement, and Gloria Steinem, author Victor Malarek, Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney and Congresswoman Jackie Speier.
Sex trafficking is fueled by the demand for prostitution along with impunity for its buyers. According to Melissa Farley, author of 20 research articles on trafficking for prostitution, "Today, a majority of men buy sex online from women or children, many of whom are trafficked or controlled by third parties. Craigslist mainstreams prostitution as 'Adult Services'. This protest exposes these ads for what they really are: the sale of sexual exploitation, paid rape, child abuse, and trafficking."
Craigslist has defied and defeated the efforts of Attorneys General, a high profile lawsuit and members of Congress who have tried to put an end to their facilitation of sex trafficking. Despite evidence of criminal activity associated with its website, Craigslist remains above the law. "We are sending a message to Craigslist from the human rights community that by hosting these ads they are partially responsible for much of the rank exploitation that is human trafficking," says Ms. Ramos.
CATW is calling upon Craigslist to close the "Adult Services" section of their website and set a sex industry-free standard which would help to eliminate human trafficking on the internet.
Speakers include: Joy Friedman, Breaking Free; Glenda Hope, Executive Director, SafeHouse San Francisco for Homeless Women Escaping Prostitution; Victor Malarek, Author/Activist; Aaron Cohen, Author/Activist; Terria Joseph, Actor.
Source The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women
Mike Hitchen Online - i On Global Trends
Much as it is displeasurable to think of our daughters becoming prostitutes, sex workers or porn stars, it is an ancient reality that men andd women will pay for sex in almost unlimited ways and that men and women (majoritively women) will provide sexual favours for reward, whether that reward is directly financial or for some other gain such as security or position in society. This is a truth that no amount of human rights or feminism will change.
ReplyDeleteAs with so many matters of great importance, the trafficking of people and specifically women for sale against thier will is unlikely to stop whilst those opposing it refuse to seek solutions that can work in favour of spouting about unachievable idylic situations that cannot become realities. PROSTITUTION CANNOT BE STOPPED so legalise it, control it, monitor it and accept it as a fact of life that may be distasteful to some but at least those within the trade will be there of their own accord and can feel they are "Doing Good" when in fact they are delaying the real solutions needed to stop the horrific results of the real problem.
If prostitution were monitored properly there would be protection for clients, protection for workers and no incentive to take these women in the first place as there are plenty of women willing to provide these services already and one can finally imprison those who operate illegaly without any problems as the basic service is being provided so there is no desire by the "normal" clients to risk jail for an illegal service when their needs are met within the law.
The puritanical swine who insist that all must follow their lead in bashing some form of bible or other will never change the human race and therefore are part of the cause rather than part of the problem.