American Airlines Reportedly Accused a Black Social Worker of Kidnapping the White Child In Her Care. Now She's Suing.
Never mind the court order showing the child as a dependent in her care.
Human Trafficking
Sen. Josh Hawley Says He 'Took on an Asian Trafficking Ring' and 'Freed a Dozen Women in Sex Slavery.' That's Not True.
As a state attorney, the young GOP senator oversaw raids of more than a dozen massage parlors, but he didn’t secure a single sex trafficking conviction.
Robert Kraft and Florida Massage Workers Are Still Fighting Unconstitutional Surveillance Video
"Supreme Court jurisprudence...is heavily weighted against you," an appeals judge told state prosecutors last week.
ICE Agents Fight Sex Trafficking by Paying Potential Victims for Hand Jobs
In "Operation Asian Touch," federal agents coerced suspected human-trafficking victims into sex acts. Local cops seized money and threw them in jail.
Victims or Criminals? Cops Can't Decide When It Comes to Teens Selling Sex
Plus: trade vote today, woman sues DEA for seizing cash belonging to her dad with dementia, and more...
Super Bowl Sex-Trafficking Myths Return
And they're just as wrong and dangerous this time around.
Andrew Yang Is Wrong About Prostitution
The Democratic presidential candidate wants to keep prostitution customers criminalized while "decriminalizing sex work on the part of the seller."
Students Build Virtual Reality Massage Parlor for Cops
You know, to "fight human trafficking."
13 Marines Charged in Human Smuggling Investigation
Plus: Another Marine goes rogue to catch "child traffickers," 69 percent of people hate Trump, and more...
Another Multiracial Family Falsely Accused of Sex Trafficking While Flying
Plus: Juul targeted for smoking cessation claims, federal budget deficit tops $1 trillion, and more...
Secret Memos Show the Government Has Been Lying About Backpage All Along
Sealed memos fought over in federal court last week show authorities have known for years that claims about Backpage were bogus.
FBI Rebrands National Sex Sting as 'Operation Independence Day'
The operation is still arresting sex workers and calling it a rescue mission.
Selling Drugs to Sex Workers Could Be Human Trafficking Under the Senate's New 'PROTECT Act'
The bipartisan bill says "using drugs or illegal substances to cause a person to engage in a commercial sex act" or in any kind of labor counts as human trafficking.
Jeffrey Epstein in Court Today on Sex Trafficking Charges
Plus: How the French could kill U.S. speech, do economic centrists exist?, and more...
How Oppressive Will Connecticut's New Nail Salon Occupational Licensing Be? Stay Tuned.
To state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, “Raising women up” apparently means depriving them of employment opportunities.
D.C. Sex Workers Want Decriminalization—and City Council Members Agree
'We know what we want to do with our bodies, and we don't need government interference.'
Florida Is Creating a New Sex Offender Registry Just for Prostitution Customers
The bill also targets strip clubs
Massage Parlor Surveillance Videos Can't Be Used in Court, Says Florida Judge
Plus: the biggest trouble with Devin Nunes' Twitter lawsuit, the Senate fails to override Trump's Yemen veto, bad news for the gig economy, and more...
Harvey Weinstein Is Terrible. Calling Him a Sex Trafficker Is Absurd
Nonetheless, a judge will let a sex trafficking complaint against Weinstein proceed.
Multiple Sex-Trafficking Charges Against Allison Mack to be Dropped As Actress Pleads to Extortion
Plus: "content moderation laws are...not about punishing tech companies" and union fees have taken an astonishing hit.
FOSTA's First Test Targets Cloud Company Used by Backpage
Plus: a Robert Kraft/spa-sting update, Florida sex-buyer registry nixed, D.C. activist alleges entrapment, and more sex-work and sex-policy news.
Sneak-and-Peek Warrant for Hidden Cameras at Florida Massage Parlors Faces Scrutiny
We were told this sort of spying would only be used to stop terrorists. And yet...
Homeland Security and Florida Cops Spied on Chinese Massage Workers for Months but Still Couldn't Find Evidence of Human Trafficking
Nine women face felony prostitution charges and hundreds of their customers have been arrested. Florida says it's the real victim.
'No Allegations of Human Trafficking' and 'Women Could've Walked Out' In Florida Massage-Parlor Prostitution Stings
Authorities are walking back big claims about an international human-trafficking ring involving Patriots owner Robert Kraft.
Patriots Owner Robert Kraft's Bust Is Being Billed as a Human Trafficking Bust, but It Looks More Like Ordinary Prostitution
It's also part of a larger national attack on massage parlors and sex workers.
Stop Letting People Lie to You About Hate Crime and Human Trafficking Spikes
Government statistics often show more reports of both. That doesn't mean either is on the rise.
Cops Say Cindy McCain Didn't Catch Toddler Trafficker at Airport
Plus: Lionel Shriver on cultural erasure and Stormy Daniels on strip-club labor laws
No Evidence to Back Trump's SOTU Sex-Trafficking Claims: Reason Roundup
Plus: New York's CBD-foods crackdown, Laura Loomer gets booted from PayPayl, and more hits from last night's speech.
'Human Trafficking' Used as Excuse to Try to Destroy Nail Salon Jobs in Connecticut
Occupational licensing programs deprive people of livelihoods and often don't improve public health.
Are You a Woman Traveling Alone? Marriott Might Be Watching You.
How big hotel chains became arms of the surveillance state.
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's Call To Abolish ICE Does Not Mean She Supports Sex Trafficking
The Super Bowl is around the corner and a popular sex trafficking myth is back.
Border Backlog Fuels Human Smuggling Spike: Reason Roundup
Plus: The TSA mask is slipping and government shutdown goes on.
House to Vote on 'Human Trafficking' Bill That Strengthens PATRIOT Act Spying
The PATRIOT Act fell out of fashion-but swap "human trafficker" for "terrorist" and let the civil liberties infringements roll!
Why the Press Conflates Prostitution with Sex Trafficking—and Why That's a Threat To Free Speech: Podcast
Elizabeth Nolan Brown exposes the flimsy case against the alt-weekly pioneers accused of facilitating sex trafficking through Backpage.com.
Jinx the Anarchist Sex Worker Goes to Washington
Representatives of the oldest profession were on Capitol Hill fighting FOSTA and SESTA, with our online freedoms hanging in the balance.
House Passes 'Anti Sex-Trafficking' Bill Opposed by Both DOJ and Trafficking Survivors
The bill makes "promoting prostitution" a federal crime, holds websites legally liable for user-posted content, and lets states retroactively prosecute offenders.
Judge Says Backpage Protected by First Amendment, Rejects Pimping Charges for CEO… Then Backtracks a Few Hours Later
"Congress has spoken on this matter and it is for Congress, not this court, to revisit." Except for maybe later this afternoon...
Former Backpage.com Heads Say Pimping Charges Motivated by Politics, Not Facts
"Make no mistake; Kamala Harris has won all that she was looking to win when she had us arrested."
As the 'Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act' Turns One, Lawmakers Demand DOJ Get Tougher on Ad Platforms and Sex Buyers
Federal legislators are calling on Justice Department to be more proactive about using the 2015 sex-trafficking law.
Backpage.com Wins First Amendment Victory Against Censorious Sheriff
A federal appeals court tells Tom Dart to stop threatening payment processors that do business with the classified-ad site.
Nicholas Kristof Applauds Extralegal Harassment of Backpage.com Because 'Adult' Services Sometimes Involve Minors
The columnist thinks you should go out of business if some of your customers are criminals.
Sex-Trafficking Victims Hurt Most by Senator's Crusade Against Classified Ads
Closing sites like Backpage.com puts trafficking victims at even more risk.
