Friday, Jan. 31, 2020 | 2 a.m.
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January is National Human Trafficking Prevention Month, a time to recognize that this evil affects communities all over the world, including here in Nevada.
Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery — where men, women and children are forced into a life of exploitation and abuse. According to recent estimates, over 40 million people worldwide are victims of human trafficking today.
Unfortunately, in Nevada — and more specifically, in Las Vegas and Reno — we’ve experienced incidents of human trafficking. In Las Vegas, the average trafficking victim is as young as 14. We must act to prevent this disturbing criminal activity from occurring in our communities.
Last year, while addressing the McCain Institute’s Symposium on Combating Human Trafficking, I spoke about the many obstacles we face in eradicating human trafficking. We must also realize that there is hope, and progress is being made in our state. The nonprofit Shared Hope International, in its annual report, determined that Nevada had shown the most significant improvement in trafficking prevention measures. It also gave Nevada an “A” rating in dealing with facilitators, traffickers and survivors, thanks to increased resources and improved methods for investigation and prosecutions. Our state, which scored a 97, has come far in the past decade and will strive to keep our “A” rating.
The improvement in our score since 2011, which was an “F,” shows that active prevention measures by law enforcement, nonprofits, institutions, local businesses and other community organizations have been effective. Since 2013, when Nevada first recognized human trafficking as a crime under the leadership of my colleague, former attorney general and current Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., we have continued to make significant improvements to prevent trafficking incidents. Human trafficking is a communitywide problem, and as such, it requires communitywide solutions.
One of the main ways human trafficking occurs is through airports. This past year, in order to confront human trafficking, the Reno-Tahoe International Airport implemented a “safe place” program in an effort to get passengers who may be trafficking victims to speak out and get help safely. This new initiative, along with additional training for staff and an ad campaign to help the public recognize and report signs of human trafficking, helps raise awareness of these serious crimes. Likewise, McCarran International Airport has been a nationwide leader in combating trafficking through interior ports of entry. While serving in the House, I was proud to participate in a training video for the staff at McCarran to help show the warning signs of trafficking for which personnel should be on the lookout. Major hotel chains in Nevada, such as MGM Resorts International and Caesars Entertainment, are also doing their part and have announced increased efforts to recognize and prevent trafficking through employee training and supporting nonprofits.
And at the state level, both Gov. Steve Sisolak and Attorney General Aaron Ford have been champions in this fight. We’ve seen counties across Nevada band together to form task forces, like the Southern Nevada Sex Trafficking Multidisciplinary Team, to strengthen investigative and prosecutorial efforts.
The attention and subsequent preventive efforts surrounding human trafficking are encouraging, but we still have a long way to go. In 2018, the National Trafficking Hotline verified approximately 11,000 reports of human trafficking across the United States, with just over 300 occurring within Nevada’s borders. And while large airports like McCarran have stepped up to tackle trafficking, smaller general aviation airports throughout the country need additional support and guidance to help better prevent perpetrators from smuggling victims in and out of the country and between states.
Despite our progress, even one victim is one too many. This is an issue that transcends communities and borders, and requires solutions that are continually adapting to meet this evolving threat.
As our law enforcement, legislators, and community organizations continue to implement new preventive measures and fight human trafficking on a larger scale, it is up to us, as members of a community, to be vigilant. We have a moral obligation to raise awareness and educate those around us so we can create a world where human trafficking is a thing of the past, and bring these human rights violations to an immediate end.
Sen. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2018 after serving two years in the U.S. House of Representatives.
