Skip to Content

Press Releases

Rep. Gosar Demands Action Against Human Trafficking Hub

U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) sent a letter yesterday with several of his colleagues to Attorney General Eric Holder, demanding the Department of Justice take action against Backpage.com for its egregious role in promoting human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors.

For Immediate Release
Date: March 12, 2014

 

Contact: Garrett Hawkins
Garrett.Hawkins@mail.house.gov

Rep. Gosar Demands Action Against Human Trafficking Hub

U.S. Congressman Paul A. Gosar, D.D.S. (AZ-04) sent a letter yesterday with several of his colleagues to Attorney General Eric Holder, demanding the Department of Justice take action against Backpage.com for its egregious role in promoting human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of minors. The website's mostly unchecked advertising is the leading online source for prostitution in the United States.

Rep. Gosar said: "It's disgusting that Backpage.com has been allowed to serve as a hub for human trafficking and sexual exploitation. I call on the Justice Department to crack down on this heinous abuse and prosecute those responsible for these deplorable acts. The United States of America should be a place of freedom and hope, not one of oppression and despair propagated by human trafficking."

Click HERE to view the letter. 

Rep. Gosar is also a co-sponsor of H.R.2805, the End Sex Trafficking Act of 2013. This bill would add federal enforcement powers against the "customers" of child prostitutes as opposed to just the sex traffickers themselves. 

 ###