What gives with all these escort and massage ads on TV, billboards, in local papers and on the internet?
Once again, sex sells. The problem is it only pays ad execs and traffickers, not the victims. • In 2007, Village Voice made $80,000 per month from its back page ads, New York Magazine (who have since dropped the ads due to criticism about human trafficking victims) made $40,000 per month from its sex listings, and the Verizon Yellow Pages generated more than $1 million in sale revenues–solely from “adult” ads. • These ads may classify themselves as “adult ads.” In reality, these ads are the main way traffickers find customers and are able to traffick underage minors–particularly with the rise of the internet. • To learn more about M4H’s campaign working against exploitative ads of minors on internet sites such as Craig’s List, click here.
