Critics of Craigslist's adult advertisements have taken their battle to the site's hometown, publishing a newspaper ad that claims the service is "the choice" for selling sex with underage girls. The half- ad, which appeared Wednesday in The Chronicle, describes the experiences of two teenage girls who claimed they were forced into prostitution and that Craigslist was used to find customers.
The ad is the latest development in an ongoing controversy that has heated up in the past month. Craigslist Chief Executive Officer Jim Buckmaster responded by saying that of the "thousands of venues" that offer adult serviceshis firm was the only one to take steps to combat prostitution.
Buckmaster listed several methods used by Craigslist, including manually reviewing every adult services ad, alerting users to report suspected trafficking and providing support for law enforcement sweeps and stings. AK said that inher pimp posted her picture on Craigslist in different cities, including Philadelphia, Dallas, Milwaukee and Washington.
Miraculously, I survived. MC, now 17, said she was forced into prostitution when she was Saada Saar said the ad was an appeal to Newmark's conscience. Last year, Craigslist, responding to pressure from law enforcement, launched a crackdown on prostitutionsaying staff would review before allowing them on the site.
But Monday, the Schapiro Groupan independent research firm in Atlanta, released the of a two-month study done last fall, after the review process started. The firm bought in Craigslist's metro Atlanta area promising "escort services" with young women, with an average of 1 in 4 gaining approval from Craigslist reviewers, said Alex Trouteaudthe firm's lead researcher.
Of the men who contacted the listed in the ad and agreed to a transaction, 47 percent still wanted to proceed even after learning the girls were minors, Trouteaud said. And he said Craigslist received three times the response of similar posted with a competitor, Back.
The study was commissioned by the Women's Funding Network of San Francisco in partnership with a group dedicated to stopping child prostitution called A Future. Not a Past.
Earlier this month, Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said he would seek information from Craigslist on whether the company is cracking down on prostitution. In a company blog, Buckmaster said Blumenthal "is once again indulging in self-serving publicity at the expense of the truth and his constituents.
Chronicle Photo: Michael Macor, Oct. ZIP: 54311 54302 54304 54303 54301 54305 54306 54308
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