Clark County schools should teach kids about human trafficking

In response to the March 1 Review-Journal story, “Center for abuse, trafficking victims opens in Las Vegas”:

While the excitement increases around the Golden Knights and the upcoming Raiders, so do traffickers’ demands for our city’s vulnerable young girls and boys. Fortunately, since the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000, many service providers have joined together to combat human trafficking and protect victims and survivors. The news of the new center gives me hope for current victims, yet leaves me wondering what we are doing to prevent our children from falling into these traps.

What are our parents and schools doing to educate our kids about the real threat of human trafficking? Is it realized that more than half of human trafficking victims in the United States are minors? That our Sin City is known for being one of the worst cities in the nation for sex trafficking to thrive? This is not an issue to brush off and simply feel sympathy for those in faraway lands. It is a local issue and has the potential of creeping into the paths of our youth. We must act now.

We must teach our children to equip themselves to recognize their vulnerabilities, identify possible traffickers, safely use the internet and utilize tools to respond to traffickers. Schools have the largest young adult audiences. Therefore, every school should implement a curriculum to teach our youth to protect themselves from exploitation and human trafficking.

We must take our part and encourage our School Board to join forces with other community leaders to fight this horrific battle.