A group of Minnesota community leaders and the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota recently unveiled a $1 million plan to help prevent sex trafficking and sexual exploitation at Super Bowl LII. Minnesota is set to host the event in February 2018. Prior to the Super Bowl, persons in the hospitality and transportation industries, along with 10,000 volunteers, will be trained on how to recognize the signs of sex trafficking. Law enforcement is also preparing for the event by developing a plan for “targeted stings” that will take place in the days before the Super Bowl. The Minnesota group has also planned for “emergency shelter beds, increased street outreach and a hot line for tips on possible trafficking.”
While many other cities have created plans to combat Super Bowl-related trafficking, Minnesota’s plan is unique in many ways. For example, the group is consulting sex trafficking survivors in order to effectively identify and target harmful practices. In addition, Hennepin County has hired an investigator and prosecutor to work exclusively on sex trafficking cases for a two-year trial period.
Compiled from: Smith, Kelly, Group unveils $1M campaign to fight Super Bowl Sex Trafficking, Star Tribune (June 14, 2017).