ATLANTA — from www.cbsatlanta.com – Craigslist is a popular online classified ads site where you can find everything from couches to houses.
But a pilot study, believed to be the first of it’s kind in the country, has found the site may be selling much more.
“That was the most startling and perhaps disturbing finding,” said Beth Schapiro, CEO of The Schaprio Group.
Her company, which is a data-driven consulting firm, was commissioned by the Georgia child advocacy group, A Future Not a Past, to conduct a pilot study looking at how many men use the site to solicit sex from underage girls.
The company posed as a Georgia escort service advertising on Craigslist. What they found was shocking.
“We found about half the men are actually looking to have sex or purchase sex from an adolescent or a young girl,” Schapiro said.
Craigslist said it has tightened restrictions on it’s adult category, asking users to agree that they are over the age of 18, and will report any illegal activity such as child prostitution or human trafficking to authorities.
But some say it isn’t working. Connecticut’s Attorney’s General subpoenaed the site. He is investigating whether the popular site is doing enough to stop prostitution on the site.
Thirty-nine other states are looking into this as well.
We tried talking to Georgia’s Attorney Thurbert Baker about what Georgia is doing. After several phone calls and emails, we heard back from his spokesperson with a tentative yes. But did not hear back again.