the Backpage Survivor Remission Network
Connecting survivors seeking compensation with free legal support
The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) is a private, nonprofit organization created in 1984. Over the past 41 years, NCMEC has grown into the nation’s largest and most influential child protection organization. Today NCMEC fulfills its Congressionally designated mission to help find missing children, combat child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization.
On July 31, 2025, the Department of Justice announced a remission process to compensate eligible individuals advertised for trafficking on Backpage.com or CityXGuide for specific damages they suffered as a result of the trafficking. Individuals seeking compensation are required to file a petition by February 2, 2026.
Filing a petition for remission can be complex and overwhelming. The Backpage Survivor Remission Network, created by NCMEC, connects survivors with law firms across the U.S. to make the process easier. Eligible individuals can get help filing for compensation at no cost. While a lawyer isn’t required, legal support may help survivors in the following ways:
Help navigating the petition submission process and deadlines
Support in documenting eligible losses
Providing potential resources to establish eligibility and estimate future medical or mental health needs
Time is very limited to submit a petition!
The deadline for submitting a remission petition is February 2, 2026! If you are interested in speaking with a lawyer to determine your eligibility and for help filing a petition, we encourage you to complete the form below to request to be connected with a lawyer as soon as possible.
Program Partners
Additional Program Partners will be added soon
LEGAL NETWORK
15+ national law firms currently participating, details coming soon
Backpage Remission Process Explained
The remission process is a federal effort to compensate people who were trafficked for sex as children or adults through ads posted on Backpage between January 1, 2004 and April 6, 2018, and/or on CityXGuide between April 8, 2018 and June 19, 2020.
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This remission process will give money seized from Backpage and CityXGuide to eligible survivors who suffered specific damages by being advertised on these sites. It’s a way for the government to help survivors by compensating them with funds seized from those who harmed them.
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Only very specific damages are eligible for compensation through the remission process. These damages are different from what may be compensated in restitution proceedings or through crime victim funds.
The following types of damages may be eligible under this process if sufficiently documented and resulting from the trafficking an individual experienced:
Medical or pharmacy losses
Future medical care
Behavioral and mental health treatment (including coverage for therapy, counseling, trauma-informed care, substance use treatment, and other recovery services)
Future behavioral health care
Lost wages (calculated based on the duration of trafficking an individual experienced)
Not every type of loss or harm qualifies under the remission process. This program focuses only on specific, documented financial damages tied directly to trafficking on Backpage and/or CityXGuide. The following types of damages cannot be compensated through remission:
Damages unrelated to trafficking on Backpage or CityXGuide
Non-monetary damages
Undocumented damages
Projected future income loss
Pain and suffering (physical or emotional suffering is not compensable, though medical and mental health treatment may be)
Emotional distress, grief, or wrongful loss
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After filing a petition for remission (either on your own or through an attorney), a company hired by the Department of Justice, Epiq Global Inc., will review your petition. You will receive a Notice of Eligibility, indicating that your petition is complete, or a Notice of Deficiency that will identify one or more parts of your petition that were incomplete. You will have an opportunity to correct any deficiencies. You will not know the total amount of compensation you may receive until all claims have been reviewed and assessed by Epiq Global Inc.
To learn more about the remission process visit the official DOJ Backpage Remission site here
What to Expect WHEN Connecting with An Attorney
After you have submitted the questionnaire below, NCMEC will share your information with a law firm in NCMEC's Attorney Network, and they will contact you via your preferred method. When the law firm contacts you, they may ask for certain information or documentation before they can confirm if the firm can take you on as a client. Please understand that this is not unique to you but is a required process that every firm must complete when providing free legal services. In its initial contact the firm may ask questions, including the following, before it can commit to taking you on as a client:
Confirmation of your legal name to run through the firm's database to make sure there are no legal conflicts with existing clients.
Request for proof of your income to make sure you are eligible for free legal support.
If a law firm cannot accept you as a client after their screening process, they will notify NCMEC, and we will try to connect you with other legal services. A firm will not be able to tell you if they can take you on as a client until the firm has completed this screening process.
IMPORTANT THINGS TO KNOW
There are important things to understand about being connected with a lawyer through the Backpage Survivor Remission Network:
NCMEC is acting in its capacity as the Congressionally-designated nonprofit clearinghouse on issues relating to missing and exploited children to offer this service. NCMEC is not administering this program with the Department of Justice, Epiq Global Inc., or any government or law enforcement agencies.
NCMEC has brought together the law firms in the Attorney Network, but we cannot guarantee their services, the outcome of your connecting with an attorney, or any petition you may file for compensation. NCMEC does not assess petitions or control how compensation may be distributed to survivors. All legal services provided through the Attorney Network are provided independently of NCMEC.
The number of survivors who may seek support through this service is unknown. NCMEC cannot guarantee that we will have sufficient lawyers to connect with every survivor. Additionally, there may be delays in connecting you with a lawyer based on the level of response to this service.
Connecting with a lawyer through this website does not guarantee that you will be able to file a petition or that your petition will be successful in receiving compensation. Evaluation of survivor petitions will be completed by Epiq Global Inc., the third-party administrator working with the Department of Justice.
The law firms in the Backpage Survivor Remission Network have agreed to provide free legal support to eligible survivors to file a petition for compensation. These firms cannot assist you with other legal matters you may have.
Submitting a form to connect with a lawyer does not create an attorney-client relationship with NCMEC or with any law firm.
Survivors do not need to have had a case reported to NCMEC at any time during their exploitation to be connected with a lawyer.
If you are ready, scroll down to fill out the information form.
Attorney Connection Request Form
The Backpage Survivor Remission Network includes law firms from across the United States who have agreed to provide free legal support to survivors to evaluate their eligibility and, if eligible, to complete and submit their remission petition.
We need to ask the following questions to appropriately connect you with a law firm. Please answer the following questions: