NEWS RELEASE posted on November 16, 2011 by Hilla Kerner
STOP BACKPAGE.COM PROTEST
Backpages.com is providing a virtual red light district for traffickers, pimps and johns.
VANCOUVER – Today, November 16th 2011, Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter will be holding a protest against BACKPAGE.COM.
The protest will be at 5:00pm at the corner of Granville St. and Georgia St. Vancouver, B.C.
This action is in conjunction with the Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) and Prostitution Education and Research protest at the same time that will be held in New York in front of the Village Voice Media building for its facilitation of sex trafficking through its website backpage.com.
A large portion of Village Voice Media’s profits arise from its facilitation of sex trafficking. Village Voice Media mainstreams online pimping, buying, and selling of women for the explicit purpose of prostitution.
Backpages.com facilitated by Village Voice Media is providing a virtual red light district for traffickers, pimps and johns. In this manner, Village Voice Media is aiding and abetting human trafficking for the purpose of sexual exploitation and directly profiting off the buying and selling of women’s bodies,‖ said Lisa Steacy a Collective Member with Vancouver Rape Relief and Women’s Shelter.
Human trafficking of women and girls is fueled by the male demand for prostitution along with the anonymity and impunity of buyers that websites like backpage.com provide. Between 700,000 to 400,000,000 people a year are affected by human trafficking — the vast majority of people who are trafficked are women and children, and 92% of victims are trafficked for the purpose of sexual exploitation. (Status of Women Canada).
- It is estimated that trafficking in persons is a ten billion dollar operation annually.
(CATW)
- The average age of entry into prostitution in Canada is 12-14 years old.
(Prostitution and Trafficking in nine countries: Melissa Farley)
- Over 80% of women suffer physical violence from pimps and buyers.
(Sex Trafficking of Women in the United States: Links between International and Domestic Sex Industries)
- 92% of women in prostitution said they would leave prostitution immediately if they could.
(Prostitution of Indigenous Women: Sex inequality and the colonization of Canada’s First Nations Women Melissa Farley, Jacqueline Lynne)
- Prostitution is a form of MALE VIOLANCE AGAINST WOMEN.
(VRRWS)
Media Contact: Summer Rain Bentham 604 872-8212, summerrainb@rapereliefshelter.bc.ca
The site for the Vancouver local of The Media Co-op has been archived and will no longer be updated. Please visit the main Media Co-op website to learn more about the organization.
Comments
National Association of Human Trafficking Victim Advocates
National Association of Human Trafficking Victim Advocates
phone: +1.888.206.3264
email: info@stopslavery2012.com
www.stopslavery2012.com
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Protest backpage.com and Village Voice Media's facilitation of Sex Trafficking In Front of Its New York City Headquarters Nov. 16th 4-7 pm.
CLICK HERE for more information on the Village Voice protests nationwide
CLICK HERE FOR INFORMATION ON THE BACKPAGE AND VILLAGE VOICE PROTEST AT CAL. STATE FULLERTON ON OCTOBER 6, 2011
CLICK HERE for the National Association of Attorneys General demand letter to backpage.com
ANNOUNCEMENT:
The National Boycott of the the Village Voice and all their sponsors starts Nov. 16th, 2011.
Our demand is simple:
"Stop Selling Children and other human trafficking victims on all your papers, websites and related properties that you directly or indirectly control. We the people will not spend another nickle with you or your sponsors until this is done."
Call: 888-206-3264 or email: phil@stopslavery2011.com
If you have any questions on the Village Voice / BACKPAGE direct connection to the human trafficking (slavery) of children and other human trafficking victims then please go to google and type in "backpage human trafficking victim" to get information from other sources (currently over 401,000 results)
Quotes:
"We who in engage in nonviolent direct action are not the creators of tension. We merely bring to the surface the hidden tension that is already alive."
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
I use backpage
As a part-time sex-worker I find both this protest and the language around it insulting.
I use backpage.com and offer erotic services. I feel more exploited working at a cafe for $9 an hour than spanking business men for 200.00/hr and selling used underwear at 40.00 a piece.
You say, "over 80% of women suffer physical violence from pimps and buyers,"'
According to a 2011 report, "The two factors that most affect the levels of violence (in sex work) are: i) location or work venue; and individual working conditions...in-call work involving a person operating from a fixed location appears to be the safest way for a prostitue to work in Canada." (2011, Lowman Report, pg 25).
Spaces like Backpage (and previously craigslist) give power to the worker by allowing us to screen clients and operate from an in-call location. These websites are not perfect but they are some of the best resources out there, unfortunately.
"92% of women in prostitution say they would leave prostitution immediately if they could," Perhaps a more accurate stat would involve canvassing for the perspective of sex trade workers from the different avenues of sex work, from in-call agency screening to street-level survival sex trade.
The anti-backpage crusade, rather than an issue of safety and care, is a crusade of moralism. You might not be for sale, that's great. "I" am not for sale either, but I do recognize that our bodies hold accumulated value (not only sexualized). Under a capitalist system we trade our bodies and our time for money to survive. And other people, be it pimps or bosses, make money off our backs.
All labour within the capitalist system is a form of slavery. I prefer to sacrifice less of my time, and maybe from some people's point of view, more of my body, until this capitalist system is utterly destroyed and we can rely instead on mutual aid.
Keep your morals off my body.
yikes!
thanks for your comment, annie e! i feel that this author vilifies women (and actually, people of all genders) who work in the sex industry - maybe she works for the cops.
all of your posts, hilla, seem loaded with misogyny and moralism against sex work. also, you problematically conflate consensual sex work (including porn) with human trafficking and violence against women, which is simply not the case.
yikes!
thanks for your comment, annie e! i feel that this author vilifies women (and actually, people of all genders) who work in the sex industry - maybe she works for the cops.
all of your posts, hilla, seem loaded with misogyny and moralism against sex work. also, you problematically conflate consensual sex work (including porn) with human trafficking and violence against women, which is simply not the case.
Yeah.
Glad someone finally said it. I agree.
The sort of ... hysterical tone of her posts made me think twice about engaging.