Sex trafficking doesn’t just happen at truck stops or on street corners —it happens online. And a state senate committee wants to expand a current law to account for Internet sites that promote it.
The law would make it possible to punish websites for facilitating prostitution and would allow civil action. Congress passed the Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, or FOSTA (FAH-stah), last April. FOSTA addresses websites like Backpage, a classified ads site, that often promote prostitution.
Callaway County assistant prosecuting attorney Benjamin Miller said prosecuting sex crimes online can pose a challenge.
“It is morphing very steadily into a very difficult realm to prosecute these types of offenses given the sophistication.”
Missouri Republican Senator Bob Onder says 95% of sex trafficking prosecutions happen at the state level.