Sex trafficking victims have legal recourse against individuals and institutions that foster their abuse. Not only traffickers and pimps, but businesses such as motels, hotels, truck stops, casinos, commercial airlines, transportation companies, and social media websites may be liable for allowing your abuse to happen.

 

These businesses and others have been known to profit from illegal trafficking activities on their premises while often willfully turning a blind eye toward the trafficked victims. However, state and federal laws now permit trafficking survivors to bring civil claims against businesses that knowingly benefit from these heinous practices.

 

Showard Law Firm is committed to helping survivors of sex trafficking get justice and hold any individuals or businesses that contributed to their abuse accountable for their actions. Our mission is to empower survivors and make sure their voices are heard.

 

If you are a sex trafficking survivor, a compassionate sexual abuse attorney at Showard Law Firm is here to help. We invite you to call anytime to schedule a complimentary, completely confidential consultation to discuss your legal options. You DO have the right to fight back against your abusers and the institutions that enabled them. Let Showard Law Firm identify all of the potentially liable parties in your case and give you all the information you need to decide if legal action is the right step for you at this time.

 

What is sex trafficking?

 

Sex trafficking is sexual exploitation that relies on coercion, force, or fraud to involve the victims in commercial sex acts. An exception is when the victim is under 18 years old; children cannot consent so there is no need to prove that the trafficker relied on any form of coercion.

 

Trafficking can come about in many ways, but it often involves forcing the victim into a form of dependency. This dependency can be a part of the force, fraud, or coercion that keeps the victim enslaved and distinguishes it from prostitution or other sex crimes that are not by compulsion.

 

Legal basis for a lawsuit

 

The Trafficking Victims Protection Act was originally enacted in Congress in 2000 and has gone through various revisions; it subjects businesses to liability when they knowingly benefit from activities that they knew or should have known involved trafficking.

 

When it comes to seeking justice against the individuals and businesses who were complicit in your abuse, you do not have to do it alone. To discuss your right to file a sex trafficking lawsuit, contact Showard Law Firm for a private consultation.

 

Businesses associated with sex trafficking in the United States

 

Showard Law Firm is committed to holding individuals and businesses accountable when they have facilitated or knowingly ignored sex trafficking. Potentially liable entities include:

 

  • Hotels and motels – Hotels offer anonymity and flexibility, making them a major draw for trafficking activity. Traffickers often force their victims to live and perform forced services in hotels. More than 70% of reports for sex trafficking take place in hotels.
  • Casinos – Traffickers are attracted to casinos because there is an ample supply of customers, and often those customers already have hotel rooms on-site. “Family-friendly” casinos are fertile ground for trafficking children.
  • Truck stops – Truck stops tend to be isolated, yet they attract many travelers. The isolation draws less attention from the authorities while preventing escape by victims.
  • Digital platforms – Online platforms are the new town square and they provide a marketplace for sexual predators. They are also a place where traffickers meet and lure victims. Both mainstream platforms like Facebook and Twitter, and more specialized sites like the dating website Tinder, foster sex trafficking activities.

 

These companies must be held accountable when they knowingly profit from the trafficking of individuals whom they should protect.

 

Sex trafficking statistics

 

According to some estimates, there are 4.5 million victims of sex trafficking around the world, though the hidden nature of the activity makes accurate statistics difficult to ascertain.

 

Anyone – man, woman, or child – can become the victim. However, some people are at greater risk. In the U.S., foreign nationals, especially from Asia and South America, account for approximately 15,000 trafficked individuals. However, American citizens make up a far greater number, with approximately 200,00 American children in the sex industry each year.

 

Unfortunately, sex traffickers do what they do because it is profitable. Commercial sexual exploitation brings in approximately $99 billion each year around the world. About 20% of the human trafficking profits are generated from American activities.

 

Illegal trafficking is a lot easier when businesses cooperate with and hide those in the exploitative sex industry.

 

Speak with a specialized lawyer

 

The road to recovery after experiencing human sex trafficking is a long one. Having a strong and caring support system can help. At Showard Law Firm, we approach each client as an individual whose story needs to be told, and treat you with the respect and dignity you deserve.

 

If you are a sex trafficking survivor, please call us anytime, 24/7, to find out how a dedicated attorney can help.

 

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