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  • Technical Bulletin
  • Human Trafficking

Human Trafficking

Background

According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), human trafficking (HT) involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act. DHS reports every year, millions of men, women, and children are trafficked worldwide including right here in the United States. Human trafficking can happen in any community and victims can be any age, race, gender, or nationality. Traffickers might use violence, manipulation, or false promises of well-paying jobs or romantic relationships to lure victims into trafficking situations according to DHS.

Current Situation:

The U.S National Human Trafficking Hotline (U.S. NHTH) identified 51,919 cases their organization worked with since 2007. The U.S. NHTH also noted that HT cases have jumped 25% since 2017 and they identified 23,078 survivors in 2018. The U.S. Human Trafficking Hotline identified three types of human trafficking; sex trafficking, labor trafficking and sex and labor trafficking. Many sex trafficking victims are transported to Nevada due to our prostitution laws and “what happens here, only happens here” motto. Victims are easily disguised among the many party goers within Nevada casinos, the Strip, brothels, and Downtown Las Vegas and often go unnoticed.

The Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health (DPBH) has joined Dignity Health in taking a stand against human trafficking in our state. By educating DPBH staff and community partners, these once unnoticed victims can be identified and receive the assistance needed to exit the lifestyle. Please use the link to the Dignity Health Human Trafficking 101: Dispelling the Myths training which provides basic education to health care professionals and other first responders about human trafficking, including definitions, prevalence, and common misconceptions. This module is narrated, includes video clips of survivors, and has the option to print a certificate of completion.

We ask that you share this training with your staff and throughout DPBH to begin the path of change in Nevada. When you see something please say something, it may be the one chance a victim has to become a survivor.

Reporting: National Human Trafficking Hotline 1-888-373-7888 or Text 233733

For more Information: Please contact DPBH M-F 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM at (702) 468-5516. Questions can be sent to DPBHHAI@health.nv.gov .