Nebraska’s Hidden Horror: The Prevalence of Human Trafficking

Sawyer Staehr

December 16, 2024

Human trafficking is a sickness that has plagued and stained our collective culture globally for millennia, and with increasing urbanization and technological developments within transportation, it has only gotten worse. Human Trafficking is something that we’ve all heard of, but not a lot of people are aware of the different interpretations of trafficking and how cryptic and secretive it is as an industry. Human Trafficking is defined as, “The unlawful act of transporting or coercing people in order to benefit from their work or service, typically in the form of forced labor or sexual exploitation.” However, trafficking is more nuanced than what a set-in-stone definition can represent.

In 2021, the U.S. Department of State reported that globally as many as 27.6 million people were actively being trafficked and exploited for sex and/or labor. The troubling thing is that we don’t really have an exact number on how many people across the world are being trafficked against their will, let alone the United States. When a person is being trafficked, they can be subjected to all types of labor, but it tends to be sexual.

While trafficking is prevalent all over the world, surely it isn’t prevalent in a smaller place such as Nebraska, right? Well unfortunately, that is just not the reality of the situation, as Nebraska boasts unique features that are enticing to traffickers, whether it comes to the immense amount of rural Nebraska that I-80 goes through, or the influx of people that come to see the College World Series annually in Omaha, I’m going to break down how these two factors not only influence the prevalence of trafficking in Nebraska, but how it makes Nebraska an unlikely trafficking hotspot.

It may come as a shock that a low population area such as Nebraska has a problem with trafficking, but the low-population of our state unfortunately attracts the wrong people for the wrong reasons. According to nebraska.gov, the Nebraska Attorney General has reported that since 2016, every single town in Nebraska has had at least one investigation or case of human trafficking, excluding outliers such as Lincoln, Omaha, or Grand Island.

However, unfortunately only 102 people have been convicted of these heinous crimes in a Nebraska court of law, even though there have been a plethora of cases that have popped up over the years. Nebraska hasn’t been taking this issue as seriously as we should, as the Nebraska Task Force Against Human Trafficking has only been active and prosecuting since 2015, but trafficking has occurred in nebraska ever since it’s conception

The reason why I-80 is a trafficking hotspot has to do with the nuances and location of the road. I-80 directly cuts across the continental United States, meaning it’s easy to maneuver around the country undetected. Traffickers also have an advantage in regards to rurality of I-80; a majority of I-80 goes through low-population, midwestern states. This means that not only is I-80 a fast way for people to move across multiple states in a short amount of time, but it also means that these states aren’t going to have the same protections and barriers towards traffickers that states with a higher population have.

Despite our small population, certain national events that are held in Nebraska also influence the prevalence of human trafficking, with the biggest example being the College World Series that is held in Omaha. This large event brings in thousands of people, with the 2024 attendance estimated at around 26,500 people. Large events like this make victims of trafficking easy pickings, and frankly hard to notice due to the sheer amount of people; it’s difficult to acknowledge red flags when you’re in a crowded space.

This then creates a problem. Every June thousands of people flood through I-80 to catch the World Series, meaning that traffickers can blend in with other attendees, kidnap victims or exploit currently trafficked individuals, and then leave the World Series undetected due to the amount of traffic before and after the World Series. It’s something that we as Nebraskans need to acknowledge as a problem, and our government hasn’t done enough to speak out for these victims, let alone let the general public know about the warning signs and what to look for when trafficking is suspected.

However, there are those in Nebraska who care for these victims. The Attorney General has begun doing a better job at highlighting and spreading awareness about trafficking, and there are plenty of nonprofits in the Lincoln-Omaha metropolitan area that specialize in helping victims achieve freedom from their abusers, with some notable ones being Project Harmony, the Set Me Free Project, Restored Wings, etc.

There are plenty of warning signs to look out for when it comes to trafficking. It’s important that we collectively know what to look for when it comes to trafficking victims, as you need to act accordingly and carefully to ensure the safety of the victim. There are many different things and attributes that are red flags and imply that somebody is being trafficked

Some common situations that trafficking victims find themselves in is appearing to be in a relationship with a noticeably older person, having tattoos that are quantitative by nature and reference some type of identifiable numerical value, if the said suspect has multiple phones or an abnormal amount of cash; there are plenty of things to look for. It also appears differently depending on age, as trafficked minors tend to have a lot of truancies from school, the possession of multiple hotel key cards, and/or frequent travel that is suspicious and unnecessary.

It’s important to acknowledge that not all trafficking is related to sex trafficking, as there are plenty of victims of labor trafficking as well, which have similar but different warning signs nonetheless. Common warning signs of labor trafficking may appear as a worker that’s drowning in a mass of debt, if they live/sleep at work, etc. It’s important that we recognize trafficking is nuanced, and that there are many things that you should take into consideration if you suspect somebody is being trafficked.

On the other hand, it can be a bit tricky if you’re trying to identify if somebody is a trafficker. Common characteristics of a trafficker to be on the lookout for is if somebody boasts an unnatural amount of charisma, but the biggest red-flag is if somebody possesses a keen ability to be manipulative and successfully orchestrate power-dynamics between themselves and people. Traffickers need to have a degree of mental desensitization in order to be able to do the things that they do, and it’s important that we have the ability to identify these abusers in order to protect victims, as well as prevent any future trafficking from taking place.

Overall, trafficking is a very nuanced and complicated hot topic that we don’t really like to think about, however, just because we are uncomfortable with these sinister topics doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t be actively involved in preventing trafficking while educating ourselves and others about the warning signs. Trafficking has been an issue for centuries, and the only way it can cease is if we all take part in preventing it. Regardless of your resources or philosophy in life, we can all allocate our time and resources in the fight against human trafficking.

If you suspect that somebody you know may be actively trafficked, or if you suspect that somebody you know is a trafficker, there are local and national resources that are available to help you. Locally, there is DHHS, Omaha Women’s Fund, etc. These said resources will be listed below, and these resources are dedicated to providing a safe, anonymous space to be able to report these crimes. There are resources out there to help you, and it is possible to get help.

Local:

Restored Wings Hotline: (833) 757-5665

Nebraska Adult & Child Neglect Hotline: (800) 652-1999

End Slavery Now Central Nebraska Hotline: (308) 746-7300

National:

National Trafficking Hotline: (888) 373-7888

Text: 233733

Sourcing:

https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking/resources

https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/average-attendance-at-the-college-world-series-sets-new-record/

https://ago.nebraska.gov/nebraska-human-trafficking-task-force

https://ago.nebraska.gov/sites/default/files/doc/_2023%20Task%20Force%20Report_0.pdf