Arkansas State Police and members of the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council recently conducted an operation that resulted in the rescue of seven women and 25 local victims of human trafficking, including children. statement According to a statement released Monday, the Arkansas Department of Public Safety worked with the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council to conduct Operation HOPE (Help and Opportunity to Prevent Exploitation) to rescue victims and provide a variety of resources, including food, lodging, on-site medical services, counseling, therapy and drug rehabilitation.
“These collaborative efforts will go a long way toward making Arkansas a place where human trafficking has no place,” ASP Director Mike Hager said in a statement. “Arkansas’ dedicated law enforcement agencies are committed to addressing the tragic realities of human trafficking with empathy, working to bring victims out of the darkness and provide them with the support and care they need to recover.”
During the operation, intelligence analysts and law enforcement officers were able to identify and rescue three children and one adult from exploitative, vulnerable and unstable locations. The adults were then provided with victim support services and the child was placed into protective custody.
“Not only do we hunt bad guys, we also search for the injured,” Maj. Stacey Rose, commander of the ASP Criminal Investigations Division, said in a statement.
according to Christian PostOrganizations collaborating with Operation HOPE included the Arkansas Attorney General’s Office, Hot Springs Police Department, Garland County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Harrison Police Department and the Arkansas Fusion Center. The effort received additional support from Regional Intervention of Sexual Exploitation, The Genesis Project, Into the Light, ACASA, Saline County Safe Haven, River Valley Medical Wellness and the NWA Forensic Nursing Team.
A similar operation, Operation HART, took place in Jonesboro, northeast Arkansas, in February, resulting in the rescue of five women and 30 victims of human trafficking.
“Arkansas law enforcement and victim assistance partners are on a mission to end human trafficking in Arkansas,” Hager said. statement “We are working to provide law enforcement with the specialized training they need to compassionately protect victims as they free them from the perpetrators of this heinous crime.”
Alabama is not alone in taking steps to combat human trafficking in its state. Last month, Alabama Governor Kay Ivey signed a bill to prevent child trafficking that increases the penalty for first-degree human trafficking to life in prison if the victim is a minor. Christian Post The bill, reportedly described by supporters as the “toughest in the nation,” is due to go into effect on October 1.
“The trafficking of minors is one of America’s most heinous and devastating crimes, and those found guilty must face the harshest of penalties because their victims are the most defenseless among us,” Judge Ivey said in a statement.
“As human trafficking spreads across the nation, law enforcement agencies everywhere struggle to keep up with those seeking to harm and exploit innocent victims,” she continued. “Sadly, we’ve seen cases here in Alabama where traffickers continue to ignore the law, but no longer.”
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