October 14, 2016

Today Rep. Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District announced that the Department of Justice has awarded $900,000 to the Salvation Army Seeds of Hope Program for combating human trafficking.

The funds will support the development and enhancement of a task force to combat sex and labor trafficking of foreign nationals and U.S. citizens.  The Salvation Army will work in tandem with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department on the project.

“Local partnerships can play a key role in the fight against human trafficking,” Rep. Titus said. “These funds will help implement collaborative approaches to prosecute sex and labor trafficking while addressing the needs of victims. This is another valuable effort to help our nation eradicate modern-day slavery from society.”

Background

According to the United Nation’s International Labour Organization, 21 million people worldwide, including 5.5 million children, are reported victims of human trafficking. Cases in the United States are increasing with an estimated 17,500 people subject to sex and labor trafficking every year. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center, a nationwide hotline, reported a 10% increase in cases in 2015, with 6,000 cases being reported.

Nevada is among the leading states for cases of reported human trafficking. In 2013, there were 81 reported cases of trafficking. In 2015, those numbers increased to 133 reported cases, a quarter of which involved children under 18. Of those 133 reported cases, 114 involved sexual exploitation.