Nevada coalition aimed at protecting exploited children unveils new strategic plan

CARSON CITY — A strategic plan to address commercial sexual exploitation of children in Nevada is the culmination of more than two years of effort by a broad cross-section of individuals representing child welfare, juvenile justice, the courts, service providers, advocates and other entities that work to end the commercial sexual exploitation of children in Nevada.

“I am beyond honored to be a part of (providing feedback). I never thought I would find a tribe of so many passionate people wanting to help others like myself! I cannot say thank you enough for allowing my voice to be heard through this process,” said Jessica Kay, a CSEC survivor.

Nevada is one of the states most affected by human trafficking and is ranked 10th in the nation in 2017 for the number of human trafficking cases reported to the National Human Trafficking Hotline. There were 199 human trafficking cases reported to the hotline in 2017. Among the findings, 45 of the cases were reported to be minors, 177 were sex trafficking cases and 187 of the cases reported involved female victims.

The Nevada Coalition to Prevent the Commercial Exploitation of Children (CSEC Coalition) was established on May 31, 2016 by Executive Order 2016-14. The CSEC coalition’s mandate was to develop a comprehensive strategic plan that fostered collaboration and coordination among agencies to improve the capacity to identify CSEC and provide safety and services for them and their families and caregivers as they work to end their exploitation and hold their exploiters accountable.

Through the work accomplished as a result of the Executive Order, it was recognized that:

— Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that occurs in every state, including the State of Nevada;
Nevada is one of the State’s most affected by human trafficking with reports of hundreds of calls to the national hotline annually;

— Nevada is a major destination for those who seek to sexually exploit children;

— Mobilizing all available resources in Nevada to stop all human trafficking, aid its victims, and bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice is vital to the interest of state, county, local, tribal and federal agencies, as well as children’s advocates, juvenile justice partners, residents and visitors to Nevada;

— Public Law (PL) 113-183 (Sections 101-105),24 enacted by the United States Congress, amends the federal foster care system to require state child welfare agencies, in collaboration with law enforcement, juvenile justice systems, health care providers, education agencies and organizations with experience in dealing with at-risk children to develop and implement procedures for identifying, documenting in agency records and determining appropriate services for commercially sexually exploited children, both those who are victims or at risk of victimization;

— The Governor of the State of Nevada, along with the Nevada Supreme Court, and the Office of the Nevada Attorney General recognize the immediate need to address this crime and help the victims, especially those who are children.

— There exists a need for improved coordinated responses to human trafficking throughout our State.

The CSEC Coalition identified five goals and objectives the group will focus on. These goals are the Coalition’s outlined actions they would take to meet the mandates of the executive order. Included with the five goals and objectives, a CSEC Model Coordinated Response Protocol and Toolkit and the CSEC Prevention Resource Guide were created. The protocol and toolkit will aid in identifying CSEC and those at risk of CSEC and assist victims with getting timely and effective services. The CSEC Prevention Resource Guide will provide a public health framework for prevention.

“We are immensely indebted to members of the CSEC Coalition and its subcommittees, knowledgeable community members, and youth and survivor advisors for contributing their time and expertise to this critical endeavor.” Honorable Justice Saitta.

The strategic plan now calls for the development of localized CSEC Taskforces to identify key partners to facilitate the most effective response to CSEC cases.

To report suspected human trafficking call 1-866-347-2423, to get help from the National Human Trafficking Hotline call 1-888-373-7888 or text HELP to BeFree (233733).

For more information about Nevada’s CSEC Coalition and to read the full Strategic Plan, please visit http://dcfs.nv.gov/Programs/CWS/CSEC/CSEC/ or call 775-684-4400.