LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) – Sex trafficking is a crime our world faces every day. The horrific issue becomes an even bigger problem during being events like the Super Bowl. 

According to ESPN, in 2020 Miami hotels hosted an anti-trafficking summit to train staff to spot signs of human trafficking leading up to the Super Bowl. That’s how prevalent the issue of sex trafficking is during Super Bowl weekend in host cities each year. 

“Human trafficking is an economic crime,” says Linsey Courville with Hearts of Hope. “When we think about it, sexual trafficking is perpetuated by supply and demand. If those traffickers are needing to meet that demand they are going to want to recruit more supply. A way that they might do that is through online technology that’s a big thing right now.”

Courville says predators target children. They pressure them to send videos and pictures through social media apps. The crime is more prevalent than most think. 

“Anyone can be a victim of human trafficking and anyone can be a perpetrator. Often times in rural communities like the communities we serve here in Acadiana, we see a lot of family trafficking. This is where parents or loved ones are selling their children in order to gain basic needs and resources,” says Courville. “We even see children that are homeless using survival sex trafficking in order to survive on the street.”

For more on the organization Hearts Of Hope and how you can help survivors of sexual trafficking visit their website here, theheartsofhope.org.