Eva is among the thousands of human trafficking victims targeted and exploited in the US every year, of whom only 10 percent are ever identified. However, while Native Americans make up about 11 percent of the state’s population, they account for nearly a quarter of trafficking victims, according to data compiled from service organizations. A 16-month investigation by Searchlight New Mexico has found that when it comes to human trafficking, indigenous women and girls are the least recognized and least protected population in a state that struggles to address the problem. However, despite multiple brushes with law enforcement agencies and healthcare institutions, she was not once questioned or screened for human trafficking. Lea entered the girls in child beauty pageants in the big cities of Gallup, Albuquerque and Las Cruces.

Source: Taipei Times December 21, 2019 16:07 UTC