The general public in Missoula is vastly unaware of the depth to which human trafficking and sex trafficking exist locally, says longtime Missoula Police Detective Guy Baker. The average age of a young girl trapped in sex slavery, human trafficking and prostitution is 14, said Baker, who has handled 60 such cases in Missoula since There is no Missoula law, but state and federal laws exist.
After much testifying to enlighten legislators, Baker and the Missoula Human Trafficking Task Force convinced them to make some changes on behalf of victims. So we changed that. The reason is that the prostitution definition in Montana required penetration.
Federal law applies to sex trafficking of a minor, which involve many of Baker's cases. Another problem the everyday citizen may not be aware of is the proliferation of online sex trafficking sites that mimic the now-defunct BackPage website, which the U. Department of Justice closed down in Among the look-alike online sites that deal in mostly underage girls who live in poverty, may be homeless, and who are especially vulnerable to an older man who buys them lunch to earn their trust include:.
Many of the replacement websites mimic the style and font of the previous BackPage, too, to attract men of all types, said Baker. Regularly driving the supply and demand of the sex trade are unattached or transient males in a community or area, including oil industry workers, military personnel, truck drivers, conventioneers, sporting event fans, migrant laborers and sexual tourists.
Coercion can be either physical or psychological; subtle or overt. Movement or smuggling need not be included.
