This month, around 32 victims of human trafficking were identified in Hot Springs as part of Operation Help and Opportunity to Prevent Exploitation.
Arkansas State Police and members of the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council worked together to recover the victims and offer seven of them food, lodging, on-site medical services, counseling, and drug rehabilitation. This operation follows a similar one from February in Jonesboro that saw 30 women being identified and five being offered services in northeast Arkansas. This is an ongoing investigation by the state police.
“These concerted efforts will significantly contribute to making Arkansas a place where human trafficking is not tolerated,” Arkansas State Police (ASP) Director Col. Mike Hagar said in the release. “The dedicated law enforcement community in Arkansas is fully committed to approaching the grim reality of human trafficking with empathy, aiming to rescue victims from the shadows and provide them with the support and care they need to recover.”
The operation was made possible through the coordinated efforts of representatives from federal, state, local and non-government organizations, including the Arkansas attorney general’s office, Hot Springs Police Department, Garland County Sheriff’s Office, FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Harrison Police Department, Arkansas Fusion Center, along with victim advocates and medical personnel from the Regional Intervention of Sexual Exploitation (RISE), The Genesis Project, Into the Light, Arkansas Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ACASA), Saline County Safe Haven, River Valley Medical Wellness, and the NWA Forensic Nurse Team.
The ASP release said a similar operation in Jonesboro in February identified 30 adult women as victims, and five were offered services in northeast Arkansas. “ASP cannot release any further details now as the investigation is ongoing,” the release said. “Human Trafficking continues to be a problem in Arkansas and across the United States, and law enforcement will continue to take it seriously. If you have information or suspect human trafficking in your area, please get in touch with the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council at reportht@asp.arkansas.gov or the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888.”
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