HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN NEBRASKA
This presentation is an informational resource intended to raise awareness with the goal of preventing human trafficking in Nebraska. It is not intended to provide a full legal or other description of human trafficking.
What is human trafficking?
What is human trafficking? Human trafficking is modern day slavery
Labor Trafficking
Sex Trafficking
What is sex trafficking? Helping to sell or trying to buy a sex
act with a person
without that person’s consent or
when that person is under 18 years old
What is labor trafficking? • Trying to get a person to do forced labor or services. • Labor or services are forced when obtained through Physical force or restraint Abuse of legal system, especially immigration Controlling a person’s access to drugs Exploiting a person’s functional or mental impairment • Threat of financial harm (debt bondage) • • • •
How does it happen? Force
• Abuse: sexual, physical, verbal, emotional • Threats to victim, family, friends
Fraud
Coercion
• Pretends to be friend, significant other
• Targets vulnerabilities
• Promises money, luxury goods, etc.
• Financial • Psychological
What do traffickers look like?
What do traffickers look like?
Pretends to be something he or she is not Pretender
Trafficker “Disguises”
Uses violence/threats to maintain control
Punisher
Protector
Provider
Offers to take care of needs or wants
Promiser
Uses physical power or intimidation to protect
Adapted from iEmpathize's Empower Youth Program (Brad Riley)
Promises “great things”
How do traffickers operate? What are traffickers like?
Where do they find victims?
• Isolate the victim from family and friends • Give gifts, appear friendly • Offer a job, such as modeling • Make you think they want to be the victim’s boyfriend/girlfriend/friend • Offer items that the victim can’t afford • Abusive • Force substance use
• • • • • •
Parties Malls Schools Libraries At workplaces Online
How do traffickers recruit online? Traffickers use popular social media platforms, such as:
Traffickers may… • Ask for information about youth and their family • Have accounts that seem authentic • May tailor their account to match teen’s interests • Seem sympathetic • Offer a better job
How can I protect youth online & in the world? Encourage youth to… • Keep social media profiles private • Only friend people they know • Be wary of job offers – investigate them • Disable “location services” on phone & apps • Tell you if a user won’t stop contacting them or asking inappropriate requests • Be careful what they post
What are the signs of trafficking?
What are the signs of trafficking?
Talk of older friend, boyfriend/girlfriend
Multiple cellphones
Sudden expensive items or gifts
Large amounts of cash
Running away from home
Unusual tattoos
Unexplained school absences
Reference traveling to other cites
Others signs of trafficking victims • Cell phone and ID controlled by others • Signs of physical injury • Inappropriately dressed • Malnutrition • Changes in demeanor: depression, fear, anxiety, nervousness
What are the national statistics?
Missing Youth 23,500+ runaways were reported to NCMEC in 2018
1 in 7 of these children are likely victims of sex trafficking.
National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, “Child Sex Trafficking� webpage, 2019
What are Nebraska’s statistics?
This Nebraska map illustrates the location of reports of human trafficking since 2016.* Whitney
Chadron
Valentine Ainsworth
Atkinson O’Neill
South Sioux City Royal
Mullen
Norfolk Bartlett
Scottsbluff Gering
Kimball
Wayne
Schuyler
Blair Fremont Omaha Area
Columbus Shelby Sidney
Ogallala
Stromsburg Gothenburg
Grand Island
Seward Lincoln
Lexington Kearney
McCook
*All reports are reviewed and investigated but not all are prosecuted.
Hastings
Crete
Beatrice
Combating trafficking in Nebraska
grant to combat trafficking given to the Salvation Army and Attorney General
Trained over 3,000 law enforcement and service personnel
Regional teams across the state
Service providers across Nebraska
Combating Human Trafficking in Nebraska Through Training & Community Education Valentine Stuart O’Neill
Alliance
Wayne Winside Pender Norfolk
Scottsbluff Madison Bridgeport
Spalding Albion Columbus
Sidney
Ogallala
Brainard Omaha Metro Wahoo David City North Platte Grand Island
Medical Professionals
LE/Service Providers
Kearney Hastings
Seward
Lincoln Nebraska Syracuse City
Holdrege Community Outreach
McCook
Pawnee City Falls City
Pins reflect number of events. Reach shown is proportional to attendees in a given city.
What can you do? • Learn the signs. If you see something suspicious, report it. • In case of an emergency, please call 911 immediately. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call the hotline below: 24 Hour National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888 or Text “Help” to 233733 Visit ago.nebraska.gov/get-involved-1 for more ideas on how to get involved
