[Congressional Bills 112th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 649 Introduced in House (IH)]

112th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 649

  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress 
   should work to eliminate the facilitated sexual exploitation and 
                trafficking of minors over the Internet.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              May 10, 2012

 Mr. Barrow submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
                     the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
  Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives that Congress 
   should work to eliminate the facilitated sexual exploitation and 
                trafficking of minors over the Internet.

Whereas according to the Department of Justice, there was a 59 percent increase 
        in identified victims of human trafficking worldwide between 2009 and 
        2010;
Whereas according to the Department of Health and Human Services, human 
        trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal enterprise in the world;
Whereas experts estimate that up to 300,000 children are at risk of sexual 
        exploitation each year in the United States;
Whereas experts estimate that the average female victim of sex trafficking is 
        forced into prostitution for the first time between the ages of 12 and 
        14, and the average male victim of sex trafficking is forced into 
        prostitution for the first time between the ages of 11 and 13;
Whereas the Bureau of Justice Statistics found that 40 percent of incidents 
        investigated by federally funded task forces on human trafficking 
        between 2008 and 2010 involved prostitution of a child or the sexual 
        exploitation of a child;
Whereas according to the classified advertising consultant Advanced Interactive 
        Media Group (AIM Group), Backpage.com is the leading United States 
        website for prostitution advertising;
Whereas the National Association of Attorneys General tracked more than 50 cases 
        in which charges were filed against persons who were trafficking or 
        attempting to traffic minors on Backpage.com;
Whereas according to AIM Group, Backpage.com earned an estimated $26,000,000 
        from prostitution advertisements between February 2011 and February 
        2012;
Whereas in September 2010, Craigslist.com removed the ``adult services'' section 
        of its website following calls for removal from law enforcement and 
        advocacy organizations; and
Whereas according to AIM Group, 80 percent of online prostitution advertising 
        revenue for the month of February 2012 was attributed to Backpage.com: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) supports the efforts of law enforcement agencies to 
        provide training to law enforcement agents on how to identify 
        victims of sex trafficking, investigate cases of sex 
        trafficking, prosecute sex trafficking offenses, and rescue 
        victims of sex trafficking; and
            (2) calls on all Internet media providers to immediately 
        eliminate ``adult entertainment'' sections and classified 
        advertising that facilitate online sex trafficking.
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