× Thanks for reading! Log in to continue. Enjoy more articles by logging in or creating a free account. No credit card required. Log in Sign up {{featured_button_text}}

LINCOLN — A minor who is being trafficked for sex is not a criminal but a victim, Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse heard at a hearing Tuesday.

Nebraska law enforcement officials have been trained to have the presumption that people who are being paid for sex are victims so, rather than being charged with the crime of prostitution, they are more likely to get resources and connect police to the human traffickers.

“The State of Nebraska today is far more aware of what trafficking might look like and how to respond to it,” said Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson.

Sasse, a Republican, called the field hearing of a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Subcommittee in order to raise awareness about the financial side of human trafficking, often called modern-day slavery.

It’s an estimated $150 billion industry that affects an estimated 25 million people around the world.

Sasse heard from experts about how people in the U.S. enslave others, often to sell for sex or, less often, for forced labor. He said Nebraska is doing some good things to combat trafficking, and he asked what the federal government could do.