LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — According to Nevada Child Seekers, more than 8,000 children go missing every year in Nevada. That totals to roughly 20 children that go missing a day. The goal is to track down the children before it's too late.
F.R.E.E. International, an organization based in Las Vegas, works year-round to help victims find their way to safety. The group has team members who work across the U.S. with local law enforcement, churches, schools, and local and state governments.
On National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, Mike Bartel, co-founder of F.R.E.E. International, spoke with ABC 13 about the organization's mission and how people can spot signs of human trafficking.
“There are a lot of different signs depending on the situation. It could be labor trafficking, people living at their place of employment, young ladies with tattoos on their face or neck with a person's name or money bags, all of those can be signs of something more serious going on.
There’s a full list of those examples online at the National Human Trafficking Resource Center or even the local attorney general's office,” Bartel said.
Bartel said statistics can sometimes be hard to go by because many cases are never reported.
However, he shared Nevada is especially vulnerable to higher rates of human trafficking.
“We have an incredibly high rate of unsheltered youth plus Las Vegas is an international travel hub,” Bartel added.
Once F.R.E.E. International locates a youth, the organization offers them a range of services including survivor care and legal services.
