House Lawmakers Press Shein Over Sale Of Childlike Sex Dolls In The US
House lawmakers have asked fast-fashion retailer Shein to explain how childlike sex dolls were allowed to appear on its e-commerce platform and whether any were sold to U.S. customers, escalating an international controversy that earlier this month led France to suspend the company’s online marketplace.
In a Nov. 20 letter to Shein CEO Xu Yangtian, Reps. Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), joined by 32 other members of Congress, sought clarity on the retailer’s internal controls and whether U.S. consumers were exposed to illegal content.
Founded in China and now headquartered in Singapore, Shein is known for its low-cost, rapid-turnover fashion and for hosting thousands of independent vendors on its marketplace.
The lawmakers said the request follows reports earlier this month that access to Shein’s French site was temporarily blocked after authorities found dolls resembling children offered for sale by third-party vendors.
Buchanan, who is leading the bipartisan inquiry, said in a statement, “It is incredibly disappointing that a major global retailer allowed childlike sex dolls to be sold on its platform, products that are known to fuel pedophilia and endanger children.”
He added that companies that fail to stop such items “must be held fully accountable and prevented from ever enabling this kind of behavior again.”
Wasserman Schultz said the sexual exploitation of children cannot be stopped while such products continue to be made and sold, stressing that e-commerce companies must not allow their platforms to be used to distribute items that encourage abuse.
https://www.zerohedge.com/economics/house-lawmakers-press-shein-over-sale-childlike-sex-dolls-us