Today on my local news, they discussed the codes that human traffickers use on backpage.com to advertise/sexually exploit children and women. I had never heard of this code before.
I tried but was unable to find a link to my local news story, but i did find this:
http://www.hope4justice.org/our-newsletter/2017/6/14/emojis-trafficking-those-cute-little-symbols-may-have-a-not-so-innocent-meaning-on-craigslist-or-backpage
Turns out this info was published back in June, but these codes are news to me, and we should all be aware of this coded language... Similar to "cheese pizza", etc. The local news story presented this yesterday as breaking news.
Hearts, Crowns, airplanes, cherries and other pictures are used to symbolize things like "underage", "victim being flown in" and "virgin." This shit makes me sick.
What i also found at the following link is that two days ago the woman who helped uncover these codes got an award, which means increased recognition of this sick code language.
https://www.bizjournals.com/prnewswire/press_releases/2018/01/30/DC00570
How and why the FUCK is backpage still getting away with this horror? Sickening.
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Gothamgirl ago
Just curious do you know what the crown stands for? I have seen it myself and couldn't figure it out.
3141592653 ago
Ok, i finally found it... Here you go Gothamgirl
"They said the cherry symbol means virgin. The number of roses implies the price and an airplane means new in town.
A crown symbol indicates a girl or boy is under house arrest and the growing heart emoji let’s the buyer know the girl or boy is childlike and still has some growing to do."
SoldierofLight ago
Under house arrest? As in, by the court? That suggests complicity between the justice system and the traffickers in terms of alerting them to which child is under house arrest and where they live, and if a parent is at home. It also suggests the possibility of the parent(s) offering their child up. We've seen all of this in spades, but maybe not in such an organized way.
If by chance someone knew that a kid was being held under house arrest, and saw vehicles coming and going at the child's house at odd times, they might be witnessing trafficking. If that someone had a very good camera with a long lens, they could take photos of the license plates. If anyone reading this fits this description, I hope they consider looking into this.
3141592653 ago
Idk... I took it to mean being held as a slave, but im not sure. Ive never ever heard of a child being under house arrest... ? Appreciate your insight
TrishaUK ago
Have you never seen the movie Disturbia? (parental guide 13) - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486822/ ---- Nothing to do with pizzagate, but it is a re-make of Alfred Hitchcocks movie Rear Window, in modern day America not 1950s. It is very well done if you like thrillers - oh the boy is 'under house arrest' .... my whole point of mentioning it haha