Schuette Urges Congress to Support Legislation to Prevent Child Sex

Trafficking on Internet
Contact: Joy Yearout 517-373-8060


October 21, 2014
LANSING, Mich. - Attorney General Bill Schuette today announced he has contacted members of
the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee to request their support for the Stop Advertising Victims of Exploitation
Act (SAVE) Act (S. 2536), legislation that would help prevent children from being trafficked online. Schuette
was joined by attorneys general nationwide to urge the committee to support the bill and bring it to a vote.
"The Internet makes it easy for human traffickers to target vulnerable youth and sell them like
expendable goods in a virtual marketplace with relative anonymity," said Schuette.
"As a husband and father, I am pleased there is broad bipartisan support for this critical legislation
to crackdown on the human traffickers who hide behind the Internet to exploit their victims, and I urge
Congress to approve this measure as soon as possible."
Local prosecutors report that prostitution solicitations have largely moved online. Backpage.com,
for example, generates an estimated $3 million to $4 million per month in revenue from online sex
solicitations, according to a study done by the Advanced Interactive Media Group, an interactive media and
classified advertising firm.
The SAVE Act would provide more oversight of websites that facilitate "adult services," such as
Backpage.com. The legislation would require Backpage.com and sites like it to verify the identity of
individuals posting advertisements and the age of those who appear in these advertisements. Under new
Michigan law, children who are sold for sex, are considered victims of human trafficking.
Background on Schuette's Victim-Centered Fight Against Human Trafficking
Upon taking office in 2011, Schuette launched the state's first Human Trafficking Unit in the
Attorney General's Office to prosecute human traffickers under state law. Since then, Schuette's Human
Trafficking Unit has secured nine human trafficking convictions, with cases against several additional
defendants currently pending. The Southeast Michigan Crimes Against Children (SEMCAC) multi-
jurisdictional task force has been instrumental in leading investigations against traffickers.
In March 2013, Schuette announced the formation of the Michigan Commission on Human
Trafficking. The statewide commission includes members of the state legislature, law enforcement, state
government, and anti-trafficking activists from across Michigan. Over a six-month period, the Commission
conducted a formal review of several key areas and published a report of their findings for Governor Snyder,
the legislature, and the public. Read the full Commission report at the following
link:http://1.usa.gov/1oEzoP3.
In July 2013, Schuette joined a bi-partisan group of 49 state attorneys general nationwide to
empower state and local law enforcement in the fight against human trafficking and strengthen federal laws
by amending the Communications Decency Act of 1996 to provide criminal jurisdiction to state and local
prosecutors to target traffickers who utilize online classified ad sites, including Backpage.com. Read more
at the following link: http://1.usa.gov/109Xjk0.
On October 16, 2014, Gov. Rick Snyder signed legislation protecting Michigan citizens from human
trafficking and supporting victims. Much of the legislation stems from a 2013 report by the Michigan
Commission on Human Trafficking, co-chaired by Schuette. Read more at the following
link: http://1.usa.gov/1rXCMEZ.
Schuette is one of ten attorneys general nationwide selected to lead the National Association of
Attorneys General (NAAG) Presidential Initiative on Combating Human Trafficking, called Pillars of
Hope. Schuette is working closely with his colleagues to craft a coordinated national strategy to combat
human trafficking, including efforts to prosecute offenders, assist victims, analyze the impact of this crime
and raise public awareness.
For more information on the status of the Attorney General's pending cases, as well as how to
identify and report human trafficking, visit the Attorney General's website
at, www.michigan.gov/humantrafficking.
Click to View a Copy of the NAAG Letter
-30-