On September 9, 2019, we blogged about the disturbing rise and demand for underage sex, and by extension sex trafficking, throughout the United States. Read the post here.
Reports across the country are starting to characterize the demand as the highest ever seen in the United States, capturing children – both boys and girls – as young as three years old, and hundred of thousands of victims a year. The epidemic is so enormous it is nearly impossible to fully grasp. Read more about the statistics in the United States here.
As I alluded to in my September 9th post, a small group of lawyers, including us, are teaming together to try and bring an end to sex trafficking by bringing the corporations who are allowing it to happen – in full view – to justice.
One of the most prevalent industries where such rancid behavior takes place, is the hospitality industry. As I documented in my September 9th blog post, it was absolutely heart wrenching listening to a young female adult speak about the many years she was enslaved, walking through the same hotel lobby for years, and praying to herself each and every time she entered the lobby that, just one, front desk man or woman would stop her and ask her why she was there. She viewed each of them as her only way out. But the question never came, and thus her fate was sealed.
Second, only to the hospitality industry, are the large truck stops across the country, where hundreds of truckers will park and stay overnight in their cabs. A light knock at the cab door or window is often an invitation for paid sex, and too often with minors.
Do truck stops bear a responsibility to put an end to this crisis? Do hotels? These decisions and others are already being teed up throughout the country where passionate lawyers are presenting compelling cases before judges, and hoping that judges will find a duty exists, thus beginning what we hope is a revolution towards ending this hateful epidemic.
To read about a lawsuit recently filed seeking corporate liability on this front, please see here.
You can help us bring an end to this epidemic, by being mindful of your surroundings at hotels and other similar public places. If in doubt, call law enforcement and report your suspicions.
And if you own a hotel or a truck stop or other such similar place, talk to your employees, tell them to be vigilant, and get the word out that they too can be part of the solution.
