Officials push human trafficking awareness ahead of CWS in Omaha

OMAHA, Neb. —

Officials pushed to prevent human trafficking in Omaha ahead of the College World Series.

Omaha city leaders team up with a local nonprofit and Union Pacific to raise awareness and to make sure you know if you see something, to say something.

Leaders said it’s often an issue that’s misunderstood and hidden in plain sight.

Human trafficking often starts online, not just in extreme cases — Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram.

Stephanie Olson with the Set Me Free Project said it doesn’t need to have transportation to be considered trafficking. Typically, a trafficker is someone the victim knows and loves.

“The reality is human trafficking is happening in our community, in our schools, in our homes, through social media and familial trafficking is massive. Moms and dads are the traffickers, grandmas and grandpas are the traffickers, Olson said.

Olson added traffickers build big networks, and it’s on the community to build even bigger networks to be able to support victims.

Make sure you can always see the latest news, weather, sports and more from KETV NewsWatch 7 on Google search.

NAVIGATE: Home | Weather | Local News | National | Sports | Newscasts on demand |