IV 112th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 649 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

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.