- SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters)
- Online marketplace eBay says it has 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 on Friday.
-
- "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 U.S. State Department has said Taiwan is a source,
transit and destination point for people trafficked for sexual exploitation
and forced labour. Victims often are trafficked to Taiwan from China, Thailand,
Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines.
-
- Excerpt: 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 on Friday.
"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.
|
