Omaha’s Project Harmony is hosting four days of training on how to identify and help possible victims of child sex trafficking.
The training is for law enforcement, medical and mental health professionals, and providers of emergency services for youth. Beth Ferree, Director of Training for Project Harmony, says the goal is to raise awareness of child sexual exploitation and what to look for.
"It gives people an idea of who these victims are, what we should be looking for, and then the bigger part of the training is doing a gap analysis and looking at what do we have going on that’s good in our community that we can respond, and what’s missing, and who do we need to bring to the table."
Ferree says 14 to 16-year-olds are the most vulnerable. A 2014 issue paper from Nebraska Appleseed says 1 in 7 runaways are victims of sex trafficking, and 75 percent of sexual exploitation victims are girls.
Last month, 21 people were arrested in the Omaha area in connection with a nationwide sting targeting commercial sex trafficking. Three pimps were arrested in Omaha, and two victims rescued.