EVENTS
November 16, New York City
Protest Backpage.com ’s Facilitation of Sex Trafficking In Front of Its New York City Headquarters
The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW) in partnership with Prostitution Research and Education (PRE) and co-sponsoring organizations that include Equality Now, Soroptimist International of the Americas, Apne Aap, Aboriginal Women’s Action Network, Breaking Free, Ambassador Mark Lagon, Frederick Douglass Family Foundation, Temple Committee Against Human Trafficking, A Call to Men, along with many others, will hold a protest in front of the Village Voice building at the offices of Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC, owner of Backpage.com <http://Backpage.com> . We will bring attention to their corporation’s facilitation of and profiting from sex trafficking.
“Backpage is now the leading online facilitator of sex trafficking,” says Norma Ramos, Executive Director of CATW. This past August, 46 State Attorneys General called upon Backpage to cease its facilitation of sex trafficking. In doing so, they cited more than 50 cases across 22 U.S. states in the past three years that involve Backpage’s facilitation of sex trafficking.
It is estimated that Backpage generates upwards of $2 million per month largely attributable to its functioning as a virtual red light district for pimps/traffickers and johns. Currently, Backpage is facilitating sex trafficking in at least 10 other countries. Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC, owner of Backpage, is displaying a reckless disregard for human rights. Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC could act to create a sex trafficking free Internet by no longer hosting prostitution ads through Backpage.
We invite you to join CATW, PRE and our co-sponsors to hold Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC accountable for its facilitation of and profiting from the rank exploitation of others. We call upon Village Voice Media Holdings, LLC to engage in corporate responsibility by ceasing to host ads that facilitate sex trafficking on Backpage.
When: Wednesday, November 16, 2011, 4:00 – 7: 00PM
Where: The Village Voice, 36 Cooper Square, Manhattan
Contact: SAndar@catwinternational.org
December 3, London, England
Challenging Porn Culture
This international conference is aimed at supporting and inspiring feminist thinking and activism against pornography and porn culture. The programme will feature academics and activists from the US, Australia, Norway, Scotland, and London.
Speakers include Gail Dines, Julia Long, Jennifer Johnson, Karen Boyle, and activist groups OBJECT, London Feminist Network, Stop Porn Culture, Women’s Support Project, Ottar, and more.
Topics will include: a feminist analysis of porn culture; mapping the porn industry; women in the porn industry; anti-porn perspectives in academia; ‘living in a porn culture’ – young women speak out; activist strategies.
The conference is at London Metropolitan University, Holloway Road, N7 from 9.00AM to 5PM.
For full information, click here.
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June 16-19, 2012, San Diego, CA
SPC’s next annual conference will be June 16-19, 2012, in San Diego, CA. Check back for more info.
