Several members of the Wayne Rotary Club took part in a training involving the human trafficking market.
Those involved were Gary Weddel, Frank Sheda and Galen Wiser. The training was facilitated by Darius Agumba.
The group then presented information to the local motel managers in Wayne with information on how to intervene against and prevent sex trafficking in these facilities.
Information provided during the training noted that "This is a market-driven business estimated to be $150 billion per year, up dramatically from the 2013 estimate of $32 billion."
According to information provided by the Wayne Rotary Club, in the area covered by Rotary District 5650 (southeast Nebraska and southwest Iowa) in any given month "835 unique persons are advertised meaning that between 125 and 600 persons are at risk of being victimized by sex trafficking in this area.
These numbers were calculated by Patrick O'Meara, former federal prosecutor with the Omaha Child Exploitation Task Force and based on data from the Creighton University Human Trafficking Initiative.
It is estimated that 50-90 percent of sex trafficking occurs in hotels and motels, depending on the circumstances and location.
