Las Vegas fashion show sets fundraising sights on trafficking

By Anne Davis

Published April 4, 2025 at 8:51 AM PDT

FILE - In this April 14, 2020, file photo, photographed through glass, streets are empty of traffic along the Las Vegas Strip as casinos and other business are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak in Las Vegas. State officials say federal emergency funds are kicking in to extend unemployment payments for an additional 13 weeks for idled Nevada workers who have exhausted regular benefits. The state Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation said Wednesday, May 13, 2020, it added information about federal Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation to its jobless workers website. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) — FILE - In this April 14, 2020, file photo, photographed through glass, streets are empty of traffic along the Las Vegas Strip as casinos and other businesses are closed due to the coronavirus outbreak in Las Vegas.

Advocates call Las Vegas a human trafficking “hotspot.” Earlier this year, the World Population Report ranked Nevada second in the nation for human trafficking incidents per capita. And in 2016, the National Human Trafficking Hotline ranked Las Vegas fifth for the number of hotline calls, also per capita.

These are the stats the Clark County Medical Society Alliance (CCMSA) took notice of — and is attempting to help change — this year. Their annual fashion show, slated for April 17, will benefit the Be a Shero Foundation, a nonprofit seeking to end the exploitation and abuse of young women.

Anita Koka is CCMSA’s co-president. She said they chose human trafficking as this year’s focus due to victims of the crime continuing to be stigmatized. But, she added, that’s changing.

“(Be a Shero) talks about (trafficking) to all kinds of community groups, and they're really starting to see what some of the red flags are,” Koka said. “It's a very positive impact here in Las Vegas.”

That’s true in the entertainment world, too. In November, the locally produced anti-trafficking action flick, “Vegas Traffic,” premiered at the Beverly Theater.

Accurate conversations on the big screen and within communities are crucial for ending human trafficking, said Ginger Land-van Buuren, an executive board member of Be a Shero. This is especially the case because common misperceptions of human trafficking stubbornly persist.

“I don't want anyone to think that there's one path or (one way) a victim looks,” she says. “Anyone who is vulnerable and can be targeted by a predator can become a victim of trafficking.”

The CCMSA 23^rd Fashion Show is scheduled to take place 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on April 17 at the Durango Casino & Resort. For more information, visit sherofoundation.org.

More resources:

National Human Trafficking Hotline: call 1-888-373-7888, or text "BEEFREE" or "HELP" to 233733
Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force
SafeNest
The Shade Tree
Signs of Hope
Hookers for Jesus

Guests: Anita Koka, co-president, Clark County Medical Society Alliance and advisory board member, Be a Shero Foundation; Ginger Land-van Buuren, executive board member, Be a Shero Foundation