LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Each year, tens of thousands of children, many of them under the age of ten, are trafficked for sex, and unfortunately, Las Vegas is a hub for this industry.
While programs exist to help teenagers who are sold for sex, there are few resources for the younger victims.
A newly formed non-profit organization called Agape Rescues Children (A.R.C.) and has formed in Las Vegas and is holding its first fundraising event on Thursday.
The primary goal of A.R.C. is to build and operate a sanctuary for children who are rescued from sex rings.
Staci Maione the founder of A.R.C said more than half of the kids who are trafficked come from the foster care system or child protective agencies, which means returning them to the system or to their families may not be an option.
“Well, you know, the ones that I’m, I’m looking at are the children, unfortunately, that are sold into trafficking by their families or the families hand them over to coyotes or traffickers and you know that have no place to go. These children that have no place to go, so this would be kind of like a sanctuary for them,” Maione said.
The first sanctuary would be built in Las Vegas, but A.R.C. hopes to someday expand its operation across the U.S. The fundraiser event is set for Thursday, Sept. 29, from 4 pm until 6:00 at Settebello restaurant on west Sahara.
For more information regarding A.R.C click here.
