New York – Village Voice Media, the alternative newsweekly
publisher whose titles also include the Village Voice and LA Weekly, has been sued
by a victim of child trafficking who alleges the company’s Backpage.com
classifieds site aided in her ordeal, Ars Technica reported. The plaintiff was
14 years old when she was forced into prostitution by a pimp — who has already
pleaded guilty — into taking nude pictures that were posted in sex ads on
Backpage.
The plaintiff alleges that Village Voice Media knew the photos were
of a minor and for prostitution services, and should not be entitled to
protection from liability under the Communications Decency Act.
"The claim
that we knowingly assisted [the child’s pimp] in committing criminal acts is a
lie fabricated by a trial lawyer looking for a payday. The attorney seeks to
redirect blame from a convicted predator to Backpage.com, which helped
prosecute the criminal," reads a statement from Village Voice Media’s
Steve Suskind published by Gawker.
Related Links:
http://tinyurl.com/273yxnq
(Ars Technica)
http://tinyurl.com/2afdj5u
(Gawker)
http://www.backpage.com
Trafficking is a global issues the tragedy of trafficking is thousand of young girls and boys are sold into modern-day slavery. Watch this short it provides a compelling look into this dark, inhuman, and exploitative world and shows how each one of us can help to prevent modern-day slavery.
http://www.cultureunplugged.com/play/479