Arkansas law enforcement and child advocacy groups are using Human Trafficking Awareness Month to spotlight the ongoing threat of human trafficking across the state and the coordinated, victim-centered response aimed at protecting survivors, particularly children.
In 2025, the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council received 110 human trafficking reports statewide, while the Arkansas Child Abuse Hotline logged 72 trafficking reports and 354 reports of sexual exploitation, according to the Arkansas State Police. Officials say the numbers underscore the persistent risk to vulnerable Arkansans, especially youth.
Col. Mike Hagar, Arkansas Secretary of Public Safety and Director of State Police, said the state is “confronting human trafficking head-on,” noting that law enforcement and victim service partners have rescued victims, held offenders accountable, and strengthened statewide response efforts.
As part of those efforts, the council conducted two operations in Fort Smith and West Memphis in 2025, contacting 21 adults and offering immediate medical care and advocacy services. Investigators and victim specialists also identified 61 additional victims, bringing the total to 82.
Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders emphasized prevention and early intervention as central to the state’s strategy. “From day one of this administration, protecting children and combating human trafficking have been our priority,” Sanders said. She noted her executive order establishing the Arkansas Human Trafficking Council puts victims first at every step.
Child advocates stressed that recovery does not end when a child is located. Mark Bryant, director of clinical services at the Central Arkansas Child Protection Center, said sexual abuse and long histories of trauma are common among trafficking victims. The center provides medical care, forensic interviews, counseling, and advocacy support for children throughout the prosecution process.
Attorney General Tim Griffin said misconceptions about trafficking make cases harder to identify. “It’s easy to think of human trafficking as something that only happens in big cities or in other countries,” Griffin said. “But human trafficking impacts communities large and small, all over the world, including here in Arkansas.”
Many victims, Bryant noted, know their trafficker personally. “The truth is that most of these kids actually know the person that has trafficked them and knew them before this,” he said.
Arkansas State Police also highlighted the work of VALOR Victory through Advocacy, Law Enforcement, Outreach, and Recovery which helps locate and recover missing children. In 2025, VALOR assisted in the recovery of 204 missing children, more than double the number recovered the previous year. As of Jan. 1, 2026, there are 103 active missing-child cases involving individuals under 18 in Arkansas.
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