According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline there were 5,147 cases of human trafficking reported in the U.S. in 2018. Most cases involve women, often underage girls who are runaways or smuggled in from a foreign country. Most of the cases are in California, Texas and Florida but trafficking is right here in Kentucky. An undercover investigation by the Kentucky Attorney General’s Office and Paducah Police found more than 200 "sex for sale" ads in the Paducah area between Dec. 29 and Jan. 28 and many of the ads involved minors. The investigation resulted in the arrest of three men for promoting human trafficking. Such sting operations are a short-term deterrent but in order to put an end to trafficking, it will take a concerted effort to stop the exploitation of women in our culture.