News Articles

2026

• Lawmakers push to toughen sex trafficking laws in Washington before World Cup, King5, January 21, 2026

2025

• WSP’s ‘Operation Human Freight’ uncovers 11 trafficking victims at Pierce County truck stop, KIRO 7, December 5, 2025
• WA couple accused of child sex trafficking targeted girls who were ‘struggling’, FOX 13, September 11, 2025
• Olympia proposes new rules for massage businesses to combat illicit activity, The Olympian, August 15, 2025
• Violent pimp who trafficked victims in Washington, Oregon, and across the country sentenced to 11 years in prison, US Attorneys Office – Western District of Washington, May 19, 2025
• Seattle man indicted for sex trafficking through force, fraud and coercion and transporting woman for prostitution, US Attorneys Office – Western District of Washington, May 15, 2025
• WA man charged with sex trafficking children, producing child pornography, KIRO7, April 10, 2025
• Violent pimp who trafficked women through the west, beating and threatening them, sentenced to 15 years in prison, US Attorney’s Office – Western District of Washington, March 10, 2025
• ‘Pimp’ sentenced to prison in Seattle for sex trafficking, gun violence, King5, March 10, 2025
• WA court allows sex trafficking lawsuit against hotel in Kent to move forward, KOMO News, February 14th, 2025
• Buyers Unmasked: Exposing the Men Who Buy Sex & Solutions to End Exploitation, Yasmin Vafa & Nora Hennick, January 2025 | PDF
• Ferries become frontline in human trafficking prevention efforts, King5, January 22, 2025
• Thurston Board of Health pledges to educate, provide resources to fight human trafficking, The Olympian, January 21, 2025
• Recognizing the signs: Auburn woman breaks silence on human trafficking, FOX 13m January 16, 2025
• Officials warn of human trafficking threats in Thurston County, The JOLT, January 15, 2025

2024

• Law targeting drug-related criminal activity passes City Council, City Council News Releases, September 17, 2024
• Mission Nonprofit Spotlight: Innovations Human Trafficking Collaborative, Thurston Talk, September 2024
• Lawsuits charging WA hotels for facilitating sex trafficking, MyNorthwest, Aug 20, 2024
• Should we legalize the sex trade like we did marijuana? Emphatically, no, The Seattle Times, June 7, 2024
• Bellevue police arrest sex trafficking suspect, FOX 13, May 8, 2024
• Survivor talks about what human trafficking really looks like in Washington state, KING 5, April 26, 2024
• Multiple victims of human trafficking rescued, KIRO 7, April 23, 2024
• Three King County Motel 6 locations facing federal sex trafficking lawsuit, KIRO 7, April 18, 2024
• Trafficking survivors propose bill to create first-of-its-kind services for others, KiNG 5, March 15, 2024
• Most WA courts aren’t requiring mandatory fees from convicted sex buyers, The Seattle Times, March 8, 2024
• Child sex trafficking survivor says update of WA laws will help prevent stories like hers, Washington State Standard, March 5, 2024
• Man arrested for sex trafficking underage girls on Aurora Ave who he met online, KOMO News, February 9th, 2024
• Man accused of sex trafficking is arrested near area hotel, Olympia police say, The Olympian, February 6, 2024

2023

• Why convictions lag compared to sex trafficking reports in the PNW, Cascade PBS, December 8, 2023
• Why Sex Trafficking persists on Aurora, Seattle Met, May 31, 2023
• Inslee signs bill to create support programs for survivors of adult sex traffickingKEPR. May 9, 2023
• Gov. Inslee signs bill to help survivors of sex trafficking in WA, Crosscut. May 9, 2023
• New Washington Bill Created by and for Adult Survivors of Human Trafficking Passes the Legislature and Receives Governor’s Signature, Press Release. May 4, 2023
• Democrats Kill Bill to Legalize Alcohol in Strip Clubs, The Stranger. March 30, 2023
• Trafficking survivors propose bill to create first-of-its-kind services for other survivors, KTVB 7. March16, 2023
• Trafficking survivors propose bill to create first-of-its-kind services for other survivors, KING 5. March 16, 2023
• Service providers, survivors say human trafficking underreported in Clark County, The Columbian. March 8, 2023
• Senate passes high school senior’s bill requiring education on sex trafficking, KING 5. March 2, 2023
• 9 sex trafficking victims rescued near Sea-Tac, lawmakers want more services for survivors, KING 5. February 24, 2023
• WA cannot neglect sex trafficking victims, The Seattle Times. February 16, 2023
• Organizations continue to push for sex trafficking awareness, KIRO 7, January 28, 2023
• 360 Coverage: Nonprofit works to combat epidemic of human trafficking, KHQ NBC, Spokane. January 18, 2023

2022

• WASE Forward recognized by Seattle HRC, Seattle Gay News. December 23, 2022
• A New Coalition to Prevent Human Trafficking Receives 2022 Seattle Human Rights Commission Award, December 15, 2022
• City of Seattle and the UW Center for Human Rights present: Human Rights Day 2022, December 6, 2022
• Sex crimes: ‘A big step backward’, The Seattle Times. June 17, 2022
• Convicted sex offender arrested for soliciting a minor in Bellevue, KIRO 7. March 10, 2022
• Man accused of sexually abusing Seattle teens had evaded jail despite repeat offenses, KOMO News. February 25, 2022
• Burien man accused of raping 13-year-old, trying to pimp her out on Seattle’s Aurora Avenue North, The Seattle Times. February 8, 2022

2021

• A Historic Step Toward Equality: Spain’s Prime Minister Vows To Abolish Prostitution, Women’s eNews. December 8, 2021
• Why sex trafficking is especially high in Seattle, KING 5. November 4, 2021
• Parents, pay attention — Backpage is out, sugaring is in, My NorthWest. May 15, 2021

2020

• Kirkland man found guilty of promoting prostitution in Eastside sex trafficking ring, Kirkland Reporter. July 1, 2020

2019

• Jobs must be part of the solution to human trafficking, The Hill. January 12, 2019
• Bellevue Police Department detectives arrested 12 men as part of an undercover prostitution sting, Q13 Fox. November 13, 2019
• A Blind Eye, NW Lawyer Magazine. May 12, 2019

2016

• Prostitution Is Not Just Another Job, HuffPost. March 29, 2016
• A closer look at King County’s groundbreaking efforts to fight sex trafficking, The Seattle Times. March 10, 2016
• Large prostitution ring, Bellevue brothels shut down, The Seattle Times. January 7, 2016

2014

• King County Flips the Script on Prostitution, Targeting Buyers Instead of Sex Workers, KPLU. October 15, 2014