“Operation Hope” leads to the recovery of 32 victims of sex trafficking

The joint law enforcement action “Operation HOPE” resulted in the recovery of 32 victims of sex trafficking in Arkansas.

According to a May 20 press release from the Arkansas Department of Public Safety (ADP), 25 local victims were identified as part of Operation Help and Opportunity to Prevent Exploitation (HOPE), while seven other female , suspected of being victims of human trafficking, were offered support.

“Arkansas State Police (ASP) and members of the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council conducted the recovery operation in a single day, providing victims with services such as food, shelter, on-site medical services, counseling, therapy and drug rehabilitation,” the ADP noted. .

The operation was carried out in Hot Springs earlier this month.

“These concerted efforts will significantly contribute to making Arkansas a place where human trafficking is not tolerated,” said Col. Mike Hagar, ASP director. “Arkansas' dedicated law enforcement community is fully committed to addressing the dark reality of human trafficking with empathy, aiming to bring victims out of the shadows and provide them with support and assistance. care they need to recover. »

ADP notes that “before the operation, three children and one adult were removed from exploitative, vulnerable and unstable situations. All minors were placed in protective custody and the adult received victim support services.

Other law enforcement entities involved in Operation HOPE included the Arkansas Attorney General's Office, Hot Springs Police Department, Garland County Sheriff's Office, Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), among others.

Human trafficking is an underestimated scourge in our world, with an estimated 27.6 million victims worldwide at any given time.

According to the U.S. State Department, “traffickers profit at the expense of their victims by forcing them to work or engage in the sex trade in all parts of the United States and the world.”

We congratulate the men and women of law enforcement, and all others, involved in Operation Hope. Please pray for those involved in the operation, the victims who were found, and all those still caught up in human trafficking.

Please also see the articles and resources available below.

If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, call National Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888). The Trafficking Hotline also connects victims and survivors of sex trafficking and forced labor with the services they need to get help and stay safe.

To learn more about human trafficking, listen to an episode of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, My rescue from human trafficking to a new life in Christ. You'll hear Jean Marie Davis recount her life as a victim of sex trafficking, until she found freedom through Jesus Christ at a Pregnancy Resource Center (PRC). Jean found practical help and a new life, and is now the executive director of a PRC in Vermont. To listen to the episode, Click here.

You can also listen to another episode of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, Human trafficking: what you need to know. You'll hear Linda Smith, President of Shared Hope International, discuss child trafficking in the United States, how listeners can combat it, and how parents can protect their children. To listen to the episode, Click here.

Related articles and resources:

FBI Victim Services Division

FBI crimes against children

National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC)

NCMEC 24/7 Call Center Number: 1-800-THE-LOST (843-5678)

Human trafficking: what you need to know

How to combat human trafficking

Understanding the scale of human trafficking

FBI Operation Cross Country Rescues 200 Human Trafficking Victims

“Operation Lost Souls” recovers 70 missing children, victims of sex trafficking

Operation Carolina Homecoming recovers more than 150 missing children

Photo by Getty Images.