craigslist's role in child trafficking

MORE: best (easiest) legal challenge I see at the moment: by claiming to manually screen all ads, craigslist has become "co-author" of these ads and should be held legally responsible for all problem-ads that appear on the site (since it ok-es them before publication) D.

sorry, got delayed...

Much better media coverage than I've ever seen on this topic! and a lot more people with the ability to really do something (e.g. Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley) finally speaking up...

Unfortunately, some people continue to be blinded by craigslist's arguments that they are not ultimately causing the crime so they are thus not responsible.

As with all crimes, willingness to commit the crime is not enough for the crime to actually happen -- the opportunity must also be there. And the greater the opportunity, the more potential crime becomes actual crime. While craigslist is not causing the willingness to exploit children, the existence of it's "adult services" does appear to dramatically increase the opportunity of committing the crime by providing a very effective advertising platform (much more effective than any other known alternative). Getting rid of the "adult section" would not mean there would be no more child trafficking but it may well mean that there would be a whole lot less of it...

If "adult services" MUST exist (and it is a very difficult argument to make that providing an advertising section for the extremely limited situation when "adult ads" may truly be harmless and legal should win out given the reality of increased child trafficking), it could only be justified if screening would be without reproach. This appears to be hardly the case... It's hard to see how lawyers trained to manually screen each ad (3rd paragraph) could accept as many blatant ads observers have found on the site every time they looked... Just how many lawyers were employed? Hardly enough given the job at hand, it appears... Just how much has craigslist spent from the tens of millions it's been collecting in fees from "adult services" ads on combating the problem? an insignificant amount, it appears...

Delia

P.S. worst problem I see at the moment: some well meaning people with the ability to effect change are not keeping child trafficking separate from prostitution in general (I do believe both are a real problem but child trafficking is by far the worst of the two and should be given priority)D.

(child sex trafficking) will be posting a critique of Jim Buckmaster's response, shortly...

UPDATE

... might take a week or so... Delia

P.S. key issue: they just don't seem to be monitoring! (which they claim they do...so Amber Lyon was right on the money!) D.

child trafficking: I'm happy to see main stream outfits like CNN are finally doing a good job covering this!

MORE

Sold on Craigslist: Critics say sex ad crackdown inadequate -- links within this article (to Malika Saada Saar's article and Jim Buckmaster's article) give a balanced view

Delia

P.S. glad to see there seems to be less and less need for this blog (the questions are being asked, the issues are being raised by others...) D.