A Shreveport police car is parked in downtown Shreveport, La. Photo: Emilee Calametti / The Center Square
By Darren Svan | The Center Square
(The Center Square) – The Shreveport business community learned that Louisiana identified nearly 1,000 children as human trafficking victims last year, with lack of parental supervision flagged as the highest risk factor.
And that figure does not include unaccounted for victims who remain trapped by traffickers and pimps.
Each month, the North Shreveport Business Association hosts an expert in government issues, law enforcement or the private sector who presents a topic important to northwest Louisiana.
Laurie McGehee, executive director at FREE: The Coalition to End Human Trafficking in Northwest Louisiana, delivered Tuesday’s presentation.
“I'm really appreciative of your attention today because this is not a pleasant subject,” McGehee said. “It's not fun to hear about or to think about, that this actually happens in our community. But it is so important for everyone to know and be aware that it does happen.”
Sex trafficking is a booming industry in America that thrives because there is a serious demand for commercial sex with minors, McGehee said. Every day, children are being bought and sold for sex.
“And we may not even realize that it's going on,” McGehee said. “We may not be able to see it because we don't know what to look for.”
The Coalition to End Human Trafficking maintains a website that provides, among other resources, a list of red flags and warning signs. The organization can be reached at (318) 458-1702.
In 2025, state data revealed that 969 youth under the age of 17 were confirmed cases of human trafficking, while another 363 adults aged 18 and over were also identified.
“And tell me if you think an 18 and 19 year old are really adults,” she said.
Around 155 of the reported cases occurred in Caddo Parish, with the remaining cases primarily located in East Baton Rouge, Jefferson and Orleans parishes.
Traffickers target vulnerable individuals, using force, fraud or coercion to exploit them.
“I really want you to pay attention to the word demand, because if there's a demand, what's going to happen next? Supply, exactly,” McGehee said. “And the word commercial, that means for anything of value. It could be money. It could be drugs. It could be a ride in a car. It could be a place to stay for the night. It could be clothing."
“I once had a young lady tell me that she had sex with someone for a bag of Cheetos because she was hungry. She hadn't eaten in about three days,” she said.
The Coalition to End Human Trafficking is located at 3004 Knight Street in Shreveport.