There are indicators pointing to prostitution as a massive conundrum for the city of Las Vegas and its tourism officials. While the law is definitive, its execution is lacking. Prostitution is illegal, but there’s ample evidence showing the city’s tolerance in sex advertisements on its streets. The Strip alone is flooded by hordes of aggressive “promoters” passing out ads showing scantily-clothed “girls, girls, girls” available for “dates.”

This creates confusion. Compounded with most people’s basic assumption that prostitution is legal in Las Vegas, sex ads on the Strip further negates the city’s position and sends out the wrong message. If an activity or product is illegal, shouldn’t the advertising of such also be banned? For example, it is illegal to buy cocaine, so there aren’t people passing out flyers advertising places to purchase it.

Some ads are more direct than others. It is not uncommon to see, as in the below picture, which shows an attractive woman in a sexy outfit, on The Strip at any given time.

The mobile billboard is displaying an ad for 869girl.com, which is a website that offers “escort” service. For tourists who do not know better, logic dictates that seeing the above ad being paraded on the Vegas Strip is a clear indication that prostitution is legal.
I’ve have found that while sex workers on their own depend on postings on Backpage.com for most of their business, escort companies use third parties to distribute ads for them (via street promoters, billboard trucks and websites). This doesn’t seem to bother the city’s law enforcement officials. In the news are stories of the occasional “sting operations” conducted by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department – a prostitute and her “John” get arrested. But the fact remains; there are hundreds upon hundreds of prostitutes offering their services in Las Vegas at this very moment. A few clicks online and one can have a “Vegas date” for the next hour or the entire night.

Without a doubt, I can confirm that prostitution exists in Las Vegas. How and why it does is the billion-dollar question. It is likely that there just isn’t enough manpower to enforce the law. If so, its legal status is futile, because it does leave open for an underground sex industry to exist. Las Vegas’s stance on prostitution should serve as a deterrent, but the fact that it exists renders the city vulnerable to problems associated with an unregulated industry (such as for human rights abuses via trafficking of sex workers).

History tells us that that United Nations Peacekeepers and high-powered politicians have been involved in the kidnapping and smuggling of women and children who were forced into sex slavery based on Kathryn Bolkovac’s story – a story so compelling that it became the subject of a film called The Whistleblower. That film ultimately conveyed one very strong message: “It’s a multi-billion dollar industry.” Could this be happening in Vegas?

According to various articles on record, there is human trafficking (in some cases, involving children) happening because of an underground sex trade in Las Vegas. A 2010 article claims, “Child sex slavery rages on in Las Vegas.” There are ample articles online to warrant an official investigation. That said, I want to make it clear that none of the sex workers and former sex workers I interviewed during the course of my research for this series admitted to being a part of a sex slavery ring. They are in the business of selling sex by choice, not because they are being forced to.

Las Vegas’ underground sex trade and possible sex slavery may be the result of something simple and obvious – the law clearly prohibits it, but the city’s streets negate it. That the word on The Strip screams a very loud message: “Girls, girls, girls” is not up for contention; it is a fact. Ads for “sex-for-sale“ are shown and distributed on The Strip. This, too, is a fact. Allowing sex services to be blatantly advertised in very obvious ways defeats the purpose of the very law that prohibits it. Therefore, Las Vegas is sending out a mixed message: prostitution is illegal, but it’s okay to advertise it on The Strip.

Also not up for contention is the fact that clearly Las Vegas’ execution of its anti-prostitution law isn’t based on “zero tolerance.” The proliferation of a sex trade within its ordinance is evident, making it entirely plausible for the very thing I dread – sex slavery taking place. If true, this version of sex in Sin City makes a compelling case as the city’s deepest and darkest secret. And, one that most would be keen to dispel from Vegas’ plethora of “secrets.” It can only be hoped that the right people are on it.

Next up in the series: I recently caught up with Cathy Tull from the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority at the recently-concluded 2014 Americas Summit by the World Travel & Tourism Council, held in Lima, Peru. My conversation with Tull will form part of the conclusion of my “Sex in Sin City” series. Stay tuned!

Source: http://www.eturbonews.com