For many people, human trafficking does not exist in the United States. They believe it’s something that only takes place in Europe or Asia, but SC Attorney General Alan Wilson says they are wrong.
According to a federal study, released this year, Atlanta is ranked the number one city for sex trafficking and recently, three South Carolina girls, all under 18, were rescued from a sex trafficking ring in Alabama.
Attorney General Wilson, of South Carolina, recently released an initiative report, over 70 pages long, that tells sex traffickers in South Carolina that, “we’re coming for you.” Human trafficking is often referred to as “modern day slavery,” and can involve labor trafficking, sex trafficking, or both.
“First, this is not my initiative, this is the initiative of 18 agencies, both federal and state and non-governmental advocacy groups, task force,” Wilson said recently on The Bryan Crabtree Show. “A couple of years ago, South Carolina recognized that we had a problem. Once you admit the problem, you can work to fix the problem, and it is an action plan.”
Two of these advocacy groups are Flight Attendance against Trafficking and Truckers against Trafficking. Wilson said these guys are act as “the first responders.”
“These groups are seeing what is happening in the trenches, they are seeing the signs at truck stops and airports. There are so many people out there and you do not have to be a government official to combat human trafficking,” said Wilson.
According to WEAVE Inc., the United States is one of the top three destination points for trafficked victims and California, New York, Texas and Nevada are the top destination states within the country. Wilson said the problem was first identified in the 80’s when it was discovered that a young girl was drugged at a high school party, molested by her classmates and those same classmates blackmailed her into prostitution.
Wilson admitted that even he was once under the same idea that sex trafficking was not really an issue in this country.
“What shattered my misconception, unlike the movie Taken, you do not have to be backpacking through Europe, be in a third world country or in a major metropolitan area. You can be a regular person in high school, college or even
middle school, and you can still be trafficked when you are still living in your community,” he said.
Wilson, also wants people to know the signs of someone who could be a victim of trafficking, “The girl we mentioned earlier, was getting very little sleep, maybe an hour or two a night, so her grades were suffering and her hygiene also went down. So ways to know, if a person becomes withdrawn or if they change their habits.”
Wilson also went on to say that acts of prostitution could, in fact, be a human trafficking ring.
“One thing people see frequently are evidence of prostitution, some of these girls may be in voluntarily or they could be trafficking victim. So you may save someone’s life, just by telling someone,” said Wilson.
If you suspect someone is involved in human trafficking, call your local police agency or National Human Trafficking Resource Center hotline at 1-888-373-7888.
To listen to Wilson’s interview, click here.
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