Uber’s link to sex trafficking?
Before some overwhelming emotional response starts to boil out of the Uber loving masses, finish the read and ponder the discussion. This was written from a single observation and the thoughts that resulted. Is there an ugly side to Uber we generally don’t think about? Is there a link to sex trafficking? There may or may not be a linkage. At the same time, Uber drivers may or may not be completely aware they are supporting sex trafficking.
The story that frames these questions occurred a few weeks ago. I was walking from the parking lot of a nondescript business oriented hotel for a two o’clock meeting with our department’s legal counsel. The hotel is located in an area of Orange County, California serving many corporate headquarters, regional offices and John Wayne Airport. It is safe to characterize the majority of the hotel’s clientele as those from the business community in town for work related activities. As I approached the front entrance of the hotel I noticed a male exiting the driver seat of a newer model mid-sized sedan. Proudly displayed in the front window was a familiar “U” decal. The driver proceeded to open the back seat door to allow his passenger to exit the vehicle. As I passed the vehicle, a younger attractive platinum haired female exited the back seat. This usually would not have elicited much attention. However, the female was dressed in a very short skirt, a very small top and some very tall high heeled boots. I am fully aware; a person’s attire does not always indicate their chosen profession. I was in fact making a biased opinion that this girl may be a prostitute. Some reader’s eyes may be rolling with the thought in mind, “that proves nothing.” At this point I agree. As she was having a short discussion with the driver, I walked past the two and continued to the conference room where my meeting was scheduled. In the lobby of the hotel, I observed a lone male dressed in business attire sitting in an arm chair intently watching the sedan parked in the drive. That was the last visual I had of the unfolding event or non-event for that matter. The reason I formulated my opinion was the context of the situation. The hotel has no restaurant, no bar and no nightclub. Why would someone be dressed like that at two o’clock in the afternoon? Was my stereoscopic view of the events accurate? I don’t know; it did create a mental distraction for me during my meeting. It left me pondering many more questions. Was the girl being sexually trafficked? Was the lone male in the lobby her client? Did the Uber driver have any awareness to the situation? Did he even care?
I wondered if this question had been addressed elsewhere. In my journeys into to omniscient world of Google I stumble across some interesting things. A contributing author for Forbes asked, ”Why is there no Uber for prostitution?” He goes on to say, apps like Uber would seem to add a lot of value to the prostitution industry. It is unfortunate no reference is made to what is fact is being marketed through the app he recommends. No reference to anything other than the technological advantage of such an app. He actually claims, “Allowing technology that makes it safer and less intertwined with criminal world seems would seem like a positive step forward.” An app that will take the criminal element out of prostitution and sex trafficking, that is an impressive app.
Utoopi was deactivated in 2012. Google pulled the Utoopi Android App from Google Play, which offered “all the paid sex of your city geo-targeted.” It was clearly aimed at young sex workers who could “alternate between their studies or work and their services as escorts in complete privacy.” My guess is both Google Play and the Apple App Store are not quite ready to enter into that market. I did locate a browser based service called the Gentleman’s Navigator that provides information on escorts and numerous other offering such as: girls, strip clubs, massage parlours, bars, and night clubs. Sounds like the beginning of digital pimping.
Supporters of the prostitution industry would content that it is completely different from sex trafficking. In cases of sex trafficking, individuals who buy commercial sex provide the demand and profit incentive for traffickers. Many buyers of commercial sex are unaware, ill-informed, or in denial of the abusive realities of commercial sex. When sex trafficking is present, victims are often subjected to violence, threats, controlling behaviors, false promises, lies, and manipulation perpetrated by their traffickers. A study by Melissa Farley from Prostitution Research & Education found that the overwhelming majority of surveyed U.S. prostitutes said they could not recommend prostitution to other women. Many spoke about prostitution as a final option. In fact, the study revealed that 95% of prostitutes who were surveyed said they wanted to leave, but couldn’t. Much of the discussion of prostitution versus sex trafficking appears to be semantics. Men’s demand for trafficked women cannot be distinguished from the demand for prostitution. There is an established link to sex trafficking and prostitution.
Campaigns to fight sex trafficking in the taxi and limousine industry can be found in New York City, Australia and the United Kingdom. The New York Taxi and Limousine Commission require every Taxi, limousine and Uber driver to take Sex Trafficking Awareness training. Why isn’t this regulation required for more Uber drivers? Stop the Traffik was founded in 2006 to stop human and sex trafficking in the United Kingdom; it became a global movement. One campaign focused on taxi drivers and how they can help prevent the emotional, physical and sexual abuse in human trafficking. The question is, “why taxi drivers?” Stop the Traffik contends that:
- Taxi drivers can be the eyes and ears of the community.
- Taxis have been used to transport victims of trafficking to and from situations of exploitation.
- Taxi drivers have the potential to play a key part in the fight against trafficking. I would content.
I don’t think it is too far fetched to make the same claims about Uber. Turning a blind eye to turn a profit should not be an option.
This was not intended to be a solution to sex trafficking or to confirm that Uber supports sex trafficking. It was merely intended to bring to light that there are always unintended consequences to things that are perceived to be great.
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