Blumenthal
HARTFORD, Conn. (Legal Newsline) - Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced on Tuesday that he is leading the charge to have a website end its adult services section.
Blumenthal is leading 21 states in an effort to have Backpage.com close its adult services section as a way to fight prostitution, human trafficking and sexual exploitation of children.
Blumenthal led a similar fight against Craigslist earlier this month and was successful in having it end its adult services section.
Blumenthal is running for U.S. Senate.
"I urge Backpage to follow craigslist's lead and immediately close its adult services section," Blumenthal said.
"Adult services sections are little more than online brothels, enabling human trafficking and sexual exploitation of women and children. Because Backpage cannot properly police adult services, the section should be shut down immediately.
"Backpage has a moral - if not legal - obligation to purge ads that promote trafficking and sexual abuse of women and children."
Blumenthal is also urging the website to take further action that would prevent migration of prostitution ads into its personals section. Blumenthal is calling for flagging and screening systems and manual reviews of all such ads.
In addition to Connecticut, states calling on Backpage to close its adult services section include Arkansas, Delaware, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Virginia.