Nevada sex trafficking opponents ramp up awareness campaign

Opponents of sex trafficking in Nevada aren’t satisfied with their recent success.

On Thursday, they promised to build on the momentum they generated last year after the creation of a trafficking law with harsh penalties for pimps who force or coerce children into prostitution.

Nevada Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto announced six public service announcements will be broadcast on local television and published online to continue an awareness campaign.

Cox Communications offered free time for the 30-second commercials, which will be broadcast in English and Spanish. The spots were produced by Congo Justice Las Vegas, a local nonprofit.

Authorities didn’t waste time to prosecute criminals under the new trafficking law.

Ian Lloyd was convicted of trafficking a 16-year-old girl in February and was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole. He was the first person prosecuted under that law, but Masto said it’s not enough to simply punish the pimps.

“We cannot forget the survivors,” Masto said Thursday in the ballroom of the Monte Carlo, the site of the Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force’s second conference.

Masto said she’s supporting at least two more bills during the next session of the Nevada Legislature, one of which would create a “safe harbor” law to protect child victims from prosecution and provide them services after they’re rescued.

Masto was joined by Lou Pascoe, a former Las Vegas police officer and the director of the task force, as well as representatives from MGM Resorts, the Clark County School District and Cox.

Contact Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283. Find him on Twitter: @blasky.