LAS VEGAS (FOX5) — Stop the Traffic Foundation is on a mission to spread awareness through storytelling to stop the growing issue of child trafficking in the valley.
Inspired by his previous passion of filmmaking. Joseph Charafi has found a new purpose.
He directed a movie called Vegas Traffic, riddled with themes tied to human trafficking.
“It’s amazing to see the community come together to get behind a message, such as trying to find a little girl who’s stolen and these two odd couple cops need to try to get her back,” Charafi said. “Writing the scripts about this and making the movie about it and learning with people who are the authorities in this situation…we’ve been able to figure out how we’re able to make a difference.”
Insight from making the film led Charafi to start a nonprofit, Stop the Traffic Foundation, to dive deeper into the trafficking problem in Las Vegas.
“We are #2 in the United States per capita for child trafficking and child exploitation,” Charafi said. “It becomes a huge issue because of the highway. This is a very transient city. There’s so many events that we have out here that bring so many people from all over the world.”
According to Stop the Traffic Foundation, more than 5,000 people are trafficked in Las Vegas every month.
That includes children, which hits close to home for Charafi.
“My son was taken across state lines illegally, and I had to take extra incentive in order to get him back through the courts,” Charafi said. “To be able to get my son back is a huge difference. A lot of these people and parents don’t get their kids back.”
Charafi is still pursuing his film making endeavors, finishing up a documentary titled Problem in Vegas.
An even deeper dive into the world of human trafficking and what work can be done to address it in the valley.
“We hope that that we get off of this high list in Las Vegas and we become a major factor showing the U.S. how we can make a difference in child trafficking,” Charafi said.
Charafi told FOX 5 he has been working with the Governor’s Office to advance some of the nonprofit’s initiatives.
That includes possible legislation to utilize x-ray technology as a way to scan cars for hidden victims as law enforcement respond to Amber Alerts and other checkpoints.
To find out more about Stop the Traffic Foundation, click here.
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