News Article
March 12, 2004
EBay Reports Attempt to Sell
Women on Web
By Lisa Baertlein
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Online marketplace
eBay Inc. (EBAY.O:
Quote,
Profile,
Research) on Friday said it had removed from its Web site a listing that
offered three young Vietnamese women for auction and will report the person who
posted it to local authorities.
The listing, which said the women were for shipment only to Taiwan, "was an
egregious violation of not only eBay policies but also the law," eBay spokesman
Hani Durzy told Reuters.
"It was pulled as soon as we were aware of it. Anything illegal is against our
policies. There is absolutely no room for human trafficking" on the site, said
Durzy.
EBay also has suspended the poster, who originally listed the women for auction
on eBay Taiwan, he said.
Durzy said he was not certain of the dates the posting appeared on eBay, which
is a popular venue for bidding on and shopping for myriad items -- from cars to
collectibles.
A screenshot of the listing provided by the National Congress of Vietnamese
Americans showed that it was first posted on March 2.
Hung Nguyen, the group's president, said advocacy groups wrote to eBay demanding
that the item be pulled down when it came to their attention on March 5.
Such activities "really concern us," said Nguyen, who commended eBay for its
quick response.
EBay, along with its community of users, keeps a constant watch on listings and
reports cases of illegal activities to law enforcement.
The State Department has said Taiwan is a source, transit and destination point
for people trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor.
Victims often are trafficked to Taiwan from
China, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
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