More support needed to fight human trafficking in South Carolina, annual report says

More money, public awareness and resources are needed to fight the scourge of human trafficking in South Carolina, a report released this week says.

“Human trafficking is a horrible, horrible blight on this state,” said Attorney General Alan Wilson in a Monday press conference at the State House.

Currently, there are some 75 active human trafficking cases pending in courts around South Carolina, Wilson said.

The report, a compendium of data, findings and recommendations for 2020 that weighed in at well over 200 pages, said, “There is inadequate enforcement of existing rules and regulations in South Carolina.”

Another major finding of the report is that in 2020 there continued to be a “general lack of awareness about human trafficking and ingrained societal perceptions aggravate the problem.”

Other problems include a lack of sharing information about human trafficking among law enforcement and a lack of shelters for those victims rescued from their oppressors, the report said.

To combat deficiencies in tackling human trafficking — a term that includes sexual as well as workplace exploitation of children, teens and adults — a statewide Task Force speared by Wilson and his office will be doing such things as teaching law enforcement and others in the field more about the problem.

A public awareness program is also planned to educate citizens about issues in human trafficking, the report said.

An area in need of more focus is the exploitation of children and immigrants, the report said.

Since the Attorney General’s Office was given oversight of human trafficking issues in 2012, the number of people and agencies involved in addressing the problem has grown significantly.

Active organizations include numerous state agencies, state and local law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, faith organizations, survivors and others. In addition to the Attorney General’s Office, specific state agencies involved include the S.C. Department of Social Services, the State Law Enforcement Division and the Department of Mental Health. There are also nine regional human trafficking task forces around the state.

Unlike many other crimes on which generally accurate statistics can be kept, such as bank robberies or murder, many crimes of human trafficking take place out of public view. It is difficult to know the exact scope of the problem.

One way Wilson’s task force keeps track of the problem is to monitor tips given law enforcement on the human trafficking hotline. The hotline’s number is 1-888-373-7888.

In 2020, the five top South Carolina counties where people are reporting human trafficking allegations to authorities are Horry, Charleston, Greenville, Richland and Anderson, the report said.

Despite a lack of comprehensive statistics, Wilson said, certain social dynamics of human trafficking are known:

▪ Human trafficking victims are recruited in a variety of ways, including job offers, people posing as benefactors or making false promises, as well as by abduction and coercion.

▪ Sex trafficking crimes can take place in massage parlors, motels, escort services and homes.

▪ Workplace human trafficking happens most often in businesses involving hospitality, construction, agriculture and restaurant services.

▪ Trafficker-victim relationships can be found in workplaces, in intimate situations like families and among drug dealers and their clientele.

Gathering more data to learn the exact extent of human trafficking in South Carolina is a goal of the state task force, Wilson said.

Human trafficking is “a complex crime that infiltrates communities across South Carolina,” said Wilson, adding traffickers target “the vulnerable as well as those in mainstream society.”

This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 2:51 PM.