July 28, 2024
The Uber drivers transporting the two girls are accused of not canceling the rides after learning of the girls’ ages.
A South Carolina family says two daughters, both under 14, were trafficked using Uber. And now the family has filed a lawsuit against the ride share company.
Attorney Tracey Cowan describes the case as a nightmare of child sex trafficking from York County, South Carolina. The lawsuit alleges that Fayvion Jarrod Williams paid for an Uber to transport the girls across state lines to his North Carolina home, WYFF 4 reports. The driver allegedly did not stop the ride or deny service due to the girls’ ages.
Cowan said, “The girls were given drugs and the 12-year-old was raped, struck, repeatedly, spit on, and the whole thing was filmed on the rapist’s phone, which he later sent around.”
She claimed that Uber driver played a large role in the circumstances of the crime, adding, “Part of the reason that we’re seeing such a surge in these types of crimes is that it’s easier than ever for traffickers to transport and to essentially get their trafficking victim from one place to another.”
Williams was arrested in November 2023, charged, and pleaded guilty to all charges related to the incident. He was sentenced to 6 to 8 years.
The incident occurring in North Carolina, after the two girls were allegedly brought across state lines from South Carolina via Uber. The victims’ family has sued Uber for their involvement in the transport.
According to Kris Ballew, a member of the sex trafficking advocacy group Switch, “In South Carolina, as in all states, it is growing by leaps and bounds. Unfortunately, the victims are getting younger and younger. The typical age of entering sex trafficking is between the ages of 12 years old to 16. It used to be more like 14 to 16.”
Ballew explained that it was important for families to be aware that victims of sex trafficking are often targeted through social media interactions and transported via ride shares.
“Check up, see who they’re talking to, make sure that they have access to their social media accounts because that’s where we are seeing the greatest threat,” she told the outlet.
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