Researchers want UNL to become clearinghouse for human trafficking research
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Associated Press - October 25, 2009 4:15 PM ET
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers say they want the university to become a hub for research on human trafficking.
Marketing professor Dwayne Ball says trafficking is a problem found worldwide, so Nebraska makes as much sense as anywhere else.
The United Nations and other experts say an estimated 27 million people may be enslaved worldwide. The U.S. State Department estimates that includes as many as 200,000 in the United States.
Ball says there are cases in Nebraska, too.
His colleague, Ron Hampton, says he knows of a recent case involving a 12-year-old Central American girl sold to a Mexican slave trader after her family left her in her uncle's care. She landed in central Nebraska unable to speak English or trust anyone after she'd been raped and beaten in spirit along the way.
Hampton says he hopes others can understand the impact of human trafficking and the need to stop it.
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