King County Deputy Prosecuting Attorney, Valiant Richey, has been collecting data on this crime for many years and describes the scope of the problem as “massive.” There are an estimated 20,000-60,000 sex buyers in King County alone. Buyers can choose from over 100 websites for solicitation and, in a study conducted by Arizona State University, just one of those sites had over 6800 hits in a 24-hour time period. According to Richey, when detectives create fake ads for prostitution, on average, they receive 200-250 responses within the first two hours. “Imagine this happening in your inbox,” he said, “and then you start to understand the scope of the problem.” |
The laws in Washington State do offer some protection to employers. Christian Williams, partner at Cedar Law, shared that generally, there is no employer liability if employee conduct was intentional or criminal and outside the scope of employment. However, the employer may be liable for employee actions if an employee “combines his or her own purposes with those of an employer to any appreciable extent.” The line can be easily crossed. Consider the King County based study that found 2 pm is the peak time for soliciting sex online—this is the height of the work day. Even more concerning is that 63% of formerly prostituted individuals have reported that they met clients at their places of work. Company work trips, vehicles, and other resources can be used to facilitate commercial sex acts. |
Another concern for attorneys who advise employers is that Plantiffs' attorneys are beginning to target business that, knowingly or unknowingly, have involvement with human trafficking victims. Mike Pfau, who was recently featured in the documentary, I am Jane Doe, shared his experiences as a Plantiffs' attorney who successfully sued a large company, backpage.com, on behalf of three young women who were exploited through the website. He advised the attorneys attending to beware and be aware of this issue. Plantiffs' attorney will be bringing more civil and criminal cases against businesses that do not address this crime. |
There are also tools that can help employment attorneys better advise their clients. BEST offers a 30 minute, online training on this topic that is available and pertinent to every industry. BEST’s Executive Director, Dr, Mar Brettmann, addressed what most successful business leaders know: “the importance of setting the tone from the top in order to impact the culture of an organization.” Along with training, BEST’s Employers Alliance provides a free self-assessment tool that can help legal counsel and business leaders evaluate their current policies and procedures. These resources and more information are available at www.bestalliance.org. |
BEST would like to extend a special thanks to Rover.com for hosting this seminar at your beautiful downtown Seattle offices and providing the much needed “puppy break” after hours of discussion on such a difficult topic. Thank you also to all of the event speakers for sharing their unique expertise and experiences. Special thanks also to Storyville Coffee Company, Werxo, and Pfau Cochran Vertetis Amala. This event was made possible by your generosity. |