Survivors of sex trafficking in the Portland area, who may have been exploited through Backpage and its affiliated site CityXGuide, have a beacon of hope as the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office is notifying over a thousand potential victims about available funds for their recovery. These resources come from the seizure of assets, including bitcoin, from the now-defunct sites. The Department of Justice has redirected this money to aid survivors in their healing journey, according to an announcement reported by the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
The effort is being led by Senior Deputy District Attorney Glen (JR) Ujifusa of the MCDA’s Human Trafficking Division, who is at the forefront of this initiative. “Our office and the Human Trafficking Team strives to be victim-centered and trauma informed,” Ujifusa told the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office. The office is proactively reaching out to individuals with information on how to apply for the funds, which can assist in paying for services necessary for recovery.
Victimized through the platform that launched in 2004 and was only shut down in 2018 by federal authorities, who also imprisoned two of the site’s owners for 10 years and a third for five, recipients of this aid are being offered a vital opportunity for restitution. The available money is part of the awkwardly named but fully legitimate federal program named Backpage Remission. Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez expressed pride in the efforts of his office to support victims and conveyed his hope that these funds would make a positive impact on the lives of those affected…