Relying on AmazingCauses, STOP Online Exploitation Demands an End to Online Listings Promoting Human Trafficking

PHOENIX, AZ , July 28, 2009 — Online-facilitated human trafficking and prostitution is available in every American community through Internet classified advertising sites. To stem this tide of crime, Stop Online Exploitation (STOPonlineExploitation.org) is using AmazingCauses Web-to-print direct marketing technology, from AmazingMail.com, Inc.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) estimates the number of U.S. victims of commercial sexual exploitation, induced through force, fraud, or coercion, at 300,000 per year. And, according to Federal law enforcement studies, only 10-20% of today's prostitution is street-based, with the rest operating online and happening in neighborhoods across America.

AmazingCauses offers non-profits like Stop Online Exploitation a Web-to-Print direct marketing service for instant outreach. With no up-front costs, AmazingCauses builds any non-profit a campaign-specific Website to drive advocacy, promote outreach and facilitate fundraising. The non-profit organization simply inserts a "GiveLink" on its homepage and AmazingCauses takes it from there.

Advocacy groups can also use AmazingCauses to fundraise in support of a cause. For example, with each online purchase of a two-dollar Ahava Kids card that expresses a message of hope, inspiration and care to rescued victims, Ahavakids.org receives a 70-cent donation to further the cause of the eradication of worldwide human trafficking, enslavement and exploitation.

Also, the recent Red Envelope Project, a grassroots movement begun in Boston and powered by AmazingCauses, achieved its goal to raise awareness in opposition of President Obama's position on the sensitive issue of abortion rights. With help from AmazingCauses automated Web-to-print platform, 40,000 red envelopes landed in the White House mailroom.

Stop Online Exploitation's AmazingCauses-enabled campaign delivers lifesaving messages for $2 a card to government legislators and to CEOs of Internet companies that list classified exotic and "adult" services ads, and discussion forums, in very specific geographic regions. The goal of Stop Online Exploitation is to raise awareness and convince decision-makers to end online commercial, sexual exploitation.

In a recent article in the Vancouver Sun, Sgt. Tim Shields, media relations officer for the RCMP in British Columbia, said "There is no question the Internet is being used as a tool at times to prostitute or pimp out young people, just as it is being used by pedophiles to locate children as potential victims. The pedophile of the past would go to a playground. But the pedophile of today goes to the Internet. The same is true with many forms of prostitution."

"Because of the constantly growing number of criminals using Internet listings, such as Craigslist and AdultFriendFinder, to sell human beings, it has become extremely easy to go online and buy someone for sex," says Richard Lepoutre, President of STATWARE, Inc. Lepoutre is a founder at Stop Online Exploitation, set up in May 2009, by a growing coalition of human rights groups - including Ahava Kids - private businesses and U.S. citizens.

"Stop Online Exploitation chose AmazingCauses because our coalition is aware of the increased impact we'll get by uniting direct mail with our planned social media and other online direct marketing campaigns," says Lepoutre, "AmazingCauses' web-to-print engine allows us to combine web-based message/issue broadcasting with the delivery of large quantities of postcards to our intended targets."

Victims of commercial sexual exploitation in America are trapped in lives of constant violence, abuse and fear. Click for a FAQ about human trafficking or to participate in the Stop Online Exploitation campaign.

About AmazingMail.com Inc.
Established in 1999, Phoenix-based AmazingMail.com, Inc. has automated the tasks of creating and running multi-channel marketing campaigns and is driving small business and nonprofit business marketing campaigns for customer/supporter acquisition, cross-sell, up-sell, retention and loyalty programs. The company's automated, online services deliver text-to-print, text-to-mobile, digital direct mail, email and personalized Web page (PURLs) campaigns that start at $1,500. Direct mail from these campaigns can be delivered in quantities of one to more than a million in 24 hours or less.