Blog

Operation Broken Heart

Written by STOPP Website Staff (07/15/2018) The US Department of Justice is rigorously going after child sex offenders, and in a recent national sting operation called Operation Broken Heart, they were able to arrest more than 2300 child sex offenders and save 383 children. The operation was conducted over March, April and May of 2018 by Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task forces. ICAC task forces are located in all 50 states and are comprised of more than 4500 state, federal, local and tribal law enforcement agencies. During the three months of the operation, the task forces investigated more than Read More

I AM Little Red Film

Written by STOPP Website Staff (07/01/2018) The following information is taken from the official website of I Am Little Red, a ten-minute animated short film that is aimed at children who are most at-risk for being victimized by human trafficking.  The film is available from many media sources, which you can find on the film’s website at https://www.iamjanedoefilm.com/little-red/  . I Am Little Red is the idea of Linda Cabot, a key funder of I Am Jane Doe, a documentary about three middle school girls who were victims of human trafficking, and their families’ fight against Backpage.com, the online classified site where they were sold.  Read More

Health Care Fight Against Trafficking

Hidden Victims Advocates say the health care sector should do more to recognize and help the thousands of people who have been bought and sold in the U.S. By Gaby Galvin Staff  Writer June 15, 2018, at 7:00 a.m. The Health Care Fight Against Human Trafficking Polaris, which operates the National Human Trafficking Hotline, identified 10,615 victims of human trafficking last year, though that is likely only a fraction of the total victims in the U.S. (Getty Images) A trip to the emergency room or local health clinic can present a path to freedom for a human trafficking victim – Read More

Uber Combats Human Trafficking

Written by STOPP Website Staff (05/30/2018) Uber has partnered with national organizations to combat human trafficking through the education of its drivers.  Uber is working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, EPCAT USA, the McCain Institute, and now Polaris, which sponsors a National Hotline.  Uber drivers have saved children from the horror of human trafficking through their recognition of the signs of trafficking. See the article below from the Uber Newsroom on what Uber is doing to educate its drivers. And remember, do not try to intervene yourself, as traffickers are dangerous.  Call the Hotline, or call Read More

Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA)

Written by STOPP Website Staff (05/01/2018) The Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, as amended, is likely the most important anti-trafficking law ever passed. Its definition of trafficking is still used today: A human trafficking victim is a person induced to perform labor or a commercial sex act through force, fraud, or coercion. Any person under age 18 who performs a commercial sex act is considered a victim of human trafficking, regardless of whether force, fraud, or coercion was used. The TPVA combats human trafficking through a policy of the “Three Ps”: Prevention: includes raising awareness of the inhumane practices Read More

Alaskan Airline Stewardess Saves Trafficking Victim

Written by STOPP Website Staff (04/16/2018) This story is taken from The Sun, dated February 6, 2017. To quote the stewardess and others, “If you see something, say something.” Human traffickers are dangerous people and usually armed. Do not try to intervene on your own. But if you see what looks like Human Trafficking, do contact the authorities and allow them to take over. This is a story of a stewardess who did just that. As a result, Airlines for America, the trade group for American air professionals, is offering anti-trafficking training for airline personnel. For more information on the Read More

SESTA Passes in the US Senate

Written by STOPP Website Staff (03/28/2018) The United States Senate has passed the Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act (SESTA). Kudos to Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), who moved this bill through the Congress. This bill updates the Communications Decency Act (CDA) which inadvertently protected websites like Backpage.com when they purposely advocated and facilitated online sex trafficking. The Senate Permanent Investigations Committee, chaired by Senator Rob Portman, was able to prove that Backpage.com knowingly advised traffickers as to how to word their online advertisements to skirt the law in order to sell minors for sex through the Backpage.com Read More

Medical Assessment for Human Trafficking

Written by STOPP Website Staff (03/14/2018) Labor and sex trafficking are physically and emotionally demanding. Victims of human trafficking will likely seek medical attention at some time. In one study, 88% of trafficked victims reported seeking medical care while being trafficked. Every person in a medical setting, doctors, nurses, administrative staff, psychologists and psychiatrists, dental offices, health educators, all are in a position to identify and to educate and help a trafficking victim. It would be so helpful if human trafficking became a routine part of medical screenings and medical education. These victims are less likely to be missed if Read More

U.S. House passes bill to fight internet sex trafficking

Written by Sabrina Eaton, at cleveland.com.03/01/2018 seaton@cleveland.com The bill adopted by a 388 to 25 margin would clarify that existing communication laws don’t protect websites that “unlawfully promote and facilitate prostitution and contribute to sex trafficking.” It would also establish prison sentences of up to 25 years for some online sex traffickers. Courts previously ruled the Communications Decency Act of 1996 shielded the websites from liability because they merely hosted third-party content and didn’t create it. The bill’s sponsor, Missouri Republican Ann Wagner, said it would “empower victims, equip state and local prosecutors, and ensure websites can no longer traffic Read More

Your Hotel Room Photo Can Save a Trafficking Victim

Written by STOPP Website Staff (02/19/2018) In 2016, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis and the social action group Exchange Initiative developed an app to help locate and bring these victims home. TraffickCam, the app, urges travelers to use their smartphones to upload photos of their hotel rooms in order to create a database of room photos that can be compared with the photos posted online by traffickers. No personal information is kept except the phone’s GPS location. Photos with people in them will be rejected by the database. Furniture, patterns in carpeting, drapes, pictures, accessories, even window views Read More