September 29, 2017
Carson City, NV – Nevada Attorney General Adam Paul Laxalt announced that his office, in conjunction with the Nevada Trucking Association and Soroptimist International, raised over $52,000 from their benefit dinner supporting victims of human trafficking. Since taking office, AG Laxalt has co-hosted three benefit dinners, raising a total of over $124,000 for Nevada’s Human Trafficking Contingency Account.
The account was created with the passage of Assembly Bill (AB) 311 authorizing the Department of Health and Human Services to create an account that that allocates money to nonprofit corporations and agencies benefiting victims of human trafficking. The account is entirely donation based, and helps Nevada’s victims in emergency situations such as temporary housing or transportation costs.
“I am proud of the collective efforts we have been able to make toward making a difference in the lives of Nevada’s human trafficking victims and survivors,” said Laxalt. “Every dollar towards this cause is one that will be well spent and used to offer financial support to organizations that provide services to victims.”
What is Human Trafficking:
According to United States federal law, human trafficking is defined as (A) sex trafficking in which a commercial sex act is induced by force, fraud or coercion, or in which the person induced to perform such act has not attained 18 years of age; or (B) the recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage or slavery.
Resources for Victims:
To report instances of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline at 1-888-373-7888. The National Human Trafficking Resource Center is a national, toll-free hotline available to answer calls from anywhere in the country 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Individuals may also call the U.S. Department of Justice Hotline at 1- 888-428-7581 or call the local authorities. For more information on human trafficking, the warning signs, and how you can help fight this epidemic, visit the Office of the Nevada Attorney General’s website here.
For more information on the human trafficking contingency account or how to make a tax-deductible donation, visit the Nevada Department of Health and Human Services website here or call 775-684-400 or 702-486-4631. For information on AB 311, click here.
###