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In 2023, we made our biggest impact yet, and we couldn’t have done it alone.
We are grateful to our team members, partners, supporters, investors, and donors. We couldn’t have done it without you.
We worked closely with ESU2 staff to develop and implement policies and procedures for training school staff on human trafficking, instituting PAVE as a screening tool for select school staff (like school therapists) to determine when to pull in district-level therapists with far deeper human trafficking training, who then use PAVE’s in-depth assessment to guide identification and next steps, including referring to DCFS, law enforcement, and other service provider partners using the software.
This highlights the importance of getting schools involved in the fight against trafficking for early detection and intervention.
We championed the creation and adoption of a new statewide trafficking hotline. The hotline will serve as hub for documenting incidents of trafficking through PAVE and ensure that victims and potential victims receive the support that they need.
We improved the system-wide response to high-risk populations, particularly focusing on youth, integrating data from Youth Missing from Care with LEADS investigations.
Ponca Tribe of Nebraska went live with PAVE earlier this year.
Did you know American Indian identifying Nebraskans are nearly 5 times more likely to face extreme violence? Extreme violence is defined as experiencing one or more of: severe physical intimate partner violence (being slammed against something, strangled, beaten, burned, or having a weapon used), rape or attempted rape by force, and rape or attempted rape while drunk, drugged, or passed out.
We are not only seeing successful cases, but we are seeing increasing adoption since launch. It is clear that investigators want to use LEADS on their cases, and they’re sharing their successes with one another. The system and culture changes that we are facilitating as a result of our platforms is extremely energizing.
Spanning multiple states
This is resulting in outside investigators gaining familiarity with the platform. This work has already resulted in arrest warrants, the identification of a missing person, and critical online advertisement data used as evidence in court.
In addition to our software platform being used for this work, we have taken an active role in the identification and development of nearly all of these cases.
Commissioned by the Nebraska Coalition to End Sexual and Domestic Violence, the primary goal of “Nebraska’s Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence Response Community: A Needs Assessment Concerning Allocation of American Rescue Plan Resources” was to evaluate the current landscape of Nebraska’s intimate partner & sexual violence response community to inform decision-making surrounding the allocation of $3.7 million in federal funding. Strategic allocation of this funding represents a major win for our state’s response community. We look forward to witnessing these resources improve our community’s ability to serve survivors of trafficking.
We completed and disseminated Omaha’s 2nd annual Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) report.
Additionally, our role with SAKI was expanded both in scope and duration. In Q3, we began working with the city to incorporate the leveraging of genealogy databases (e.g. anscestry.com, 23 and me, and others) in order to identify sexual assault perpetrators associated with cold case sexual assault kits. This expanded role extended the federal funding for the project by another year.
Former Attorney General, Doug Peterson, went on Gary Sadlemyer’s talk radio show during prime time to highlight our work and the importance of LEADS to law enforcement as well as recent successful prosecution of sex traffickers.
The 2022 Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force Update (released in 2023) discussed LEADS as its #1 highlight, stating:
Each year, the Director of the Office of Violence Prevention of the Nebraska Commission of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice is responsible for generating an annual report. The implementation of our LEADS Platform with Nebraska law enforcement was highlighted this year.
As part of this process, PAVE was reviewed by federal partners and approved for use. You can read more about these federal efforts, which are supporting PAVE’s integration into the education system, here.
The report is an annual assessment of national and statewide data on child abuse and neglect reported by child protective service agencies. It is the main source of information on the topic for these agencies. Read the report here.
Former Attorney General, Doug Peterson, went on Gary Sadlemeyer’s talk radio show during prime time to highlight our work and the importance of LEADS to law enforcement as well as recent successful prosecution of sex traffickers.
The 2022 Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force Update (released in 2023) discussed LEADS as its #1 highlight, stating:
Each year, the Director of the Office of Violence Prevention of the Nebraska Commission of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice is responsible for generating an annual report. The implementation of our LEADS Platform with Nebraska law enforcement was highlighted this year.
at the Nebraska unicameral with respect to bills that could impact efforts to protect survivors of exploitation. The sexual violence data in the report was cited as instrumental in addressing unintended pregnancies resulting from sexual assault.
The Women’s Fund of Omaha convinced judges to withdraw support from a legislative proposal giving them the authority to deny DV protection order request without a hearing.
Our goal is to bring child welfare, victim services, and criminal justice into a coordinated system capable of detecting & responding to human trafficking.
2024 will be our most impactful year yet. We need your support to continue the momentum and drive change within our community.
