Backpage.com Escort Murders - Should They Stop Advertising Escorts?

Backpage.com has been in the news the past couple of months due to the escort murders of women who posted escort ads on their website. The victims were hundreds of miles away from each other. They were found in trunks of burnt out vehicles. The chilling common factor was that they all had adverts on Backpage. Relatives have described them as good people and that they would never embark on being an escort, let alone promote that they are providing escort services. The police have issued warnings for women to not post ads and meet strangers in the wake of these possible Backpage related murders.

The real debate is, can you blame Backpage.com for these murders? Should there be more of a verification service to place escort related adverts etc. Well in society it would be foolish to ban sites like Backpage offering escort services. The Police issued statements saying women should not be posting ads online and meet strangers. They did not issue a statement saying all websites in the state should stop posting escort ads. The sad fact is that you can not stop these type of murders. These murders can happen on dating sites just as much as escort ads sites. There should be more verification and maybe people looking to view or book services would have to be registered with the same vigour as the escorts and a viewing and booking history should be collated.

February 2012 could be a month of change and clearer directions on the talking points. A ban on ads is not a prevention against violence against women. A change in society can only solve that. Time can only solve that. The sad thing is there are twisted individuals that will always find a way. One door closes, another pens for them.

Women who promote escort services should be verified vigorously. So should the people who view those ads.