>>> THERE WAS NEVER A TIME WHEN
I WALKED IN AND THOUGHT, THIS
PERSON IS NOT OF AGE.
LOOKING BACK, I DON'T KNOW IF I
WOULD HAVE RECOGNIZED THAT.
>> THE MAN YOU JUST HEARD FROM
TOLD OUR NBC AFFILIATE IN
ATLANTA, HE HAD SEX WITH 25
WOMEN BUT WAS NEVER ARRESTED.
JOINING IS ARE TWO SEX CRIME
PROSECUTORS.
ALSO WITH US IS MARY FRA.N
SHE HAS A BEAUTIFUL CONNECTION
TO GABBY THAT WE HAVE TO GET TO.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
ALL RIGHT.
SO, HOW CAN IT BE -- WE'RE GOING
TO NAME NAMES.
AND THERE'S NO OTHER WAY OF
ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM THAN
DOING SO.
IT'S BACKPAGE.COM.
A WEBSITE.
NOT THE ONLY ONE BUT IT'S ONE OF
THEM, THAT YOU CAN GO AND BUY
GIRLS ON.
MY QUESTION, IS HOW CAN THAT BE?
>> BACKPAGE.COM IS AN ONLINE
CLASSIFIED WEBSITE.
IT'S LIKE, YOU CAN GO ON AND BUY
OTHER SERVICES.
BUT THEIR HUGE INCOME REVENUE
COMES FROM HOSTING ADS, SELLING
WOMEN AND CHILDREN FOR SEX.
RIGHT NOW, COURTS HAVE
HISTORICALLY RULED THAT THEY ARE
NOT LIABLE FOR THIS BECAUSE OF
AN OUTDATED INTERNET LAW.
THIS IS CALLED THE
COMMUNICATIONS INDECENCY ACT.
IT WAS PASSED IN 1996, WHEN THE
INTERNET WAS A DIFFERENT BEAST.
>> IT WAS IN ITS INFANCY.
>> EXACTLY.
THEY COULDN'T HAVE ANTICIPATED
THIS.
BUT THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR
MISSING AND EXPLOITED CHILDREN
HAS CITED AN 800% INCREASE IN
CASES OF CHILD SEX TRAFFICKING
IN THE LAST FIVE YEARS.
AND THEY ATTRIBUTE THAT TO THE
INTERNET.
TO WEBSITES LIKE BACKPAGE.COM.
IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE
PASS LEGISLATION TO CLOSE THIS
LEGAL LOOPHOLE THAT ALLOWS
WEBSITES, WHO KNOWINGLY
FACILITATE HUMAN TRAFFICKING,
FROM ESCAPING.
>> IT DOESN'T TAKE A ROCKET
SCIENTIST.
WE HAVE NO WISH TO DRIVE TRAFFIC
TO THE WEB PAGE.
BUT THERE'S NO WAY OF CALLING
THEM OUT OTHER THAN TELLING YOU
WHO THEY ARE.
THIS CAN'T GO ON.
THIS CANNOT GO ON.
THE QUESTION IS, HOW YOUNG,
REBECCA?
DEALING IN YOUR INDUSTRY, HOW
YOUNG ARE THEY GETTING THESE
GIRLS?
>> SO, THE AVERAGE AGE OF ENTRY
INTO TRAFFICKING IS BETWEEN 12
AND 14 YEARS OLD.
STATISTICS ARE HARD TO FIND
BECAUSE IT'S SUCH AN
UNDERREPORTED CRIME.
>> HOW CAN THAT BE?
HOW CAN THEY BE GETTING
12-YEAR-OLDS?
>> LIKE YOU HEARD FROM THE
SURVIVORS EARLIER TODAY, A LOT
OF PIMPS AND TRAFFICKERS PRETEND
TO BE BOYFRIENDS OR MODEL
SCOUTS.
AND THEY USE SEDUCTION, THEY
LURE THEM IN.
OFTEN, THEY GET THEM ADDICTED TO
DRUGS.
THEY TELL THEM THEY OWE THEM
MONEY BECAUSE OF THE PRESENTS
THEY BOUGHT THEM.
AND THEY THREATEN THEM AND USE
EXTREME VIOLENCE TO KEEP THEM
UNDER CONTROL.
>> TALK ABOUT THE RESPONSIBILITY
OF THE BUYERS IN THIS.
>> THE BUYERS ARE REALLY THE
ECONOMIC ENGINE THAT IT'S
DRIVING, THIS BRUTAL INDUSTRY.
WITHOUT THE BUYERS DEMANDING THE
SEX OF YOUNG WOMEN AND CHILDREN,
THERE WOULDN'T NEED TO BE A
SUPPLY.
SO, HISTORICALLY LAW ENFORCEMENT
FOCUSED ON ARRESTING THE
VICTIMS, UNFORTUNATELY, OF THIS
CRIME.
AND NOW, LAW ENFORCEMENT,
PROSECUTORS, VICTIMS' ADVOCATES
IS REALLY THE WAY TO DETER THE
CRIME IS TO HOLD THE BUYERS
RESPONSIBLE.
>> YOU HEARD THAT GUY SAYING, 25
WOMEN, NO ONE ARRESTED ME.
THAT'S NOT UNUSUAL.
>> IT ISN'T.
I WILL SAY THAT BECAUSE OF
ADVOCATES LIKE THESE AND BECAUSE
OF PEOPLE LIKE REBECCA, WHO'S
TRAINING LAW ENFORCEMENT AND
PROSECUTORS, THERE'S MORE MEN
BEING FOUND AND BOUGHT.
AND ESPECIALLY, WE'VE SEEN THAT
IN ATLANTA.
WE'VE BEEN VERY PROGRESSIVE AND
AGGRESSIVE ABOUT ENDING DEMAND
AND ENDING TRAFFICKING.
SO, THEY ARE BEING PROSECUTED.
I THINK THAT IS ONE OF THE WAYS
TO DETER IT, FOR SURE.
>> THESE WEBSITES NEED TO BE
CALLED OUT.
AND THEY NEED TO NOT BE ALLOWED.
HONESTLY, IT CAN'T BE AS EASY AS
PLACING AN ORDER FOR GROCERIES,
TO BUY A YOUNG GIRL.
IT CAN'T.
IF YOU'RE A PARENT, YOU'RE
ASKING YOURSELF HOW TO PREVENT
THIS IN YOUR FAMILY.