This week, a national conference was held in Lexington to explore ways to prevent human trafficking and other forms of domestic abuse.

Our Mackenzie Frank breaks down the data, updates us on a new initiative, and explains why the state's top elections official is involved.

I always thought that human trafficking was an urban problem.

This is a Las Vegas problem or a Los Angeles problem.

That's just one of the misconceptions debunked at this week's conference for the National Association of Confidential Address Programs.

It is, but it's also a huge problem in rural areas.

We actually have proportionally more human trafficking in the Cumberland region of Kentucky than we do in Louisville or Lexington.

The issue of human trafficking may seem odd for Kentucky's top elections official to take on, but his office deals with business filings and has a key interest and helping them spot and stop the crime in their establishments.

The secretary of state's office also oversees the Kentucky Safe at Home Program, an address confidentiality program that helps survivors of certain crimes, including sexual assault, domestic violence, trafficking, stalking and other crimes safely had their address on public records, including voter rolls.

Last year in Kentucky, authorities say there were 256 victims of human trafficking.

27% of those were minors.

That's according to the Kentucky Nonprofit Refuge for Women to help raise awareness and intervene in human trafficking scenarios.

Several states, including Iowa, have partnered with businesses to provide training on how to spot the signs of trafficking.

But all businesses are at roots in their community in a number of abandoned or the employees live there, their families, their their children.

And when their given the fact that they are not sure of them.

This is happening right here in their city.

That is an eye opener.

So they're ready to do something.

But they struggle with this word selection.

Kentucky Secretary of State Michael Adams launched Kentucky Businesses Against Trafficking at the beginning of this year.

He says it started slow, but now nearly 1000 businesses are participating.

A special focus is put on the hospitality and tourism industries that work events around the state.

Many events and other events train events.

We put a ton of time into this for doing this in remote areas, urban areas and you will see that we're taking this totally seriously and we're in for the long term.

And so that some of us actually do a lot of work and join our system.

And then we have a January launch.

So now it's several hundred and 50,000, said Diana Lynn, executive director of Refuge for Women.

As a survivor of human trafficking, she says the extra training and awareness could make a real difference for victims.

You ask somebody, Are you a victim of human trafficking?

No, no, I was I was a kid and I wasn't forced into this in six years to even identify what happened.

And so we have these stickers.

I wish hotels would have called my party.

And I wish there are standards that said you are not for sale.

What's a whole world told me I wanted in 2023.

Secretary Michael Adams worked with state lawmakers to strengthen the state's address confidentiality program.

The revised law removed the barrier of needing an emergency protective order to participate instead of an EPO.

Participants provide a statement under the penalty of perjury, explaining their need to conceal their address.

For Kentucky Edition, I'm Mackenzie Spink.