Forced prostitution may not seem like a topic that goes hand in hand with baseball, hot dogs, and beers, but experts say it most certainly happens.
At a press conference on Thursday lead by the Women's Fund, city and state leaders discussed sex trafficking awareness in Omaha ahead of the College World Series.
Among the speakers were Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, Gov. Pete Ricketts, Attorney General Doug Peterson, OPD Deputy Chief Scott Gray and other city leaders.They all spoke in support of the Women Fund's new campaign called "Not on my Watch," which encourages people to say something if they see something out of the ordinary.
Meghan Malik, Traffic Project Manager for the organization says often times, sex trafficking occurs in plain sight. Some signs someone may be a trafficking victim are a sudden or dramatic change in behavior, signs of physical harms, tattoos that appear possessive such as bar codes, or not in possession of their personal items or identification.
At the press conference, Gray said law enforcement committed to adding extra security downtown and in the Old Market area for the next two weeks.
If you suspect someone is a victim or a perpetrator, you're encouraged to call the National Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or call 911.
