Silver State Times

A lawsuit filed by a group of women against the state of Nevada over allegations its legalized prostitution violates federal sex trafficking laws still remains in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit.

The 1910 federal Mann Act makes it illegal to transport any woman or girl across state lines for "prostitution, debauchery or any other immoral purpose,” the suit says. It was originally filed in March 2019.

Brothels in Nevada “actively and intentionally persuade, induce, entice and coerce men and women to travel in interstate commerce to engage in prostitution by advertising and marketing brothels and the sale of people for sex to individuals outside the state of Nevada through hundreds of websites, social media accounts and other mass media,” according to the complaint.

It describes prostitution as “modern day slavery.” Prostitutes are “subject to domination and to the arbitrary will of another person,” it said.

The suit tells the story of one of the plaintiffs, Rebekah Charleston.

“After living on the streets homeless as a runaway, she found solace in the arms of a person who seemed to be a nice older boyfriend,” the suit said. “However, soon after, Ms. Charleston realized the true intentions this boyfriend had for her, which was to abuse and sexually exploit her.” The boyfriend “traded her” to another sex trafficker who brought her to Nevada, forcing her to get a job at a brothel, the lawsuit said.

“Ms. Charleston was not permitted to turn down a sex buyer,” the suit stated. “None of the acts in which she engaged being consensual, she was a victim of serial rape for profit.”

A federal district court judge dismissed the women’s lawsuit and they appealed to the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in July.

Nevada “markets itself as a sex tourist destination”, the women said in their appeal. “This is called the sex-buying demand. When it goes up, so does the number of women ‘necessary’ to supply it and at least some will be forced to do so, as the plaintiffs were.”

Nevada has allowed legal brothels for 48 years and is the only state with brothels in select counties, according to the nonprofit group, The National Center on Sexual Exploitation.

“Nevada has the highest rates of commercial sex [both legal and illegal] in the U.S.,” the group said. “Per capita their rates are 63% higher than the next highest state, New York, and double that of Florida.”