Mayor Mike McGinn, along with seven other mayors from across the state, wrote a letter today to Village Voice Media CEO Jim Larkin urging him to start requiring escorts who advertise on VVM's classified service, Backpage.com, to provide photo ID, in person, to prove that they're 18 or older. In recent weeks, the cities of Seattle and Tacoma have recovered dozens of children who have been trafficked through Backpage.com.

Backpage.com does not employ adequate safeguards to prevent underage sex trafficking. To place an ad on Backpage.com, all one has to do is check a box saying that the person featured in the ad is over age 18. Other advertising services require a photo ID to be brought to an office, in person, to verify age. We believe this practice is substantially more effective at rooting out underage sex trafficking.

The letter is signed by the mayors of Seattle, Pullman, Tacoma, Bellingham, Moses Lake, Shoreline, Spokane, and Kennewick.