Human trafficking: New strategy, new data fuel the fight in North Carolina

(The Center Square) – A confluence of recent developments is focusing attention on human trafficking in North Carolina, from a new task force devoted to coordinating law enforcement efforts to a fresh report detailing the scope of the problem.

Pam Strickland, founder of the nonprofit NC Stop Human Trafficking, has been working to raise awareness about human trafficking in North Carolina for a dozen years, and contends momentum is building.

“There's lots of really good things going on,” Strickland said.

Last week, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina announced a new task force dedicated to combating human trafficking as part of Human Trafficking Awareness Month. The task force will focus primarily on the Raleigh-Cary area with members from three prosecutorial offices and 11 law enforcement agencies working together to share intelligence, investigate leads, receive specialized training, and develop investigative tools, with the goal of expanding to develop similar groups in other parts of the district in the coming year.

“To have as high profile a group as the U.S. Attorney's Office to dedicate that kind of time and resources to it is definitely a plus,” Strickland said.

A variety of factors make North Carolina a prime location for both labor and sex related trafficking, including the state's numerous military bases, status as a coastal state, major highways, and large agricultural industry, Strickland said in an interview with The Center Square.

But a lack of comprehensive data collection makes quantifying the problem difficult.

Data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline shows 922 contacts from North Carolina, including 318 from victims or survivors, in 2021. That's down slightly from 1,107 calls, including 403 from victims, in 2020.

“The problem is that data is people who call into the hotline, period,” Strickland said. “It doesn't include people who call in elsewhere,” such as local police, child protective services, and nonprofts like NC Stop Human Trafficking.

Other Cyber Tipline data for North Carolina from the State Bureau of Investigation's Crimes Against Children Task Force shows tips received have increased from 4,930 in 2019 to 19,565 in 2022, while the number of investigations have also increased from 1,358 to 3,708 during the same time.

Arrests, meanwhile, have fluctuated, going from 177 in 2019 to 360 in 2020, before decreasing to 310 in 2021 and 244 in 2022. Cases accepted for federal prosecution have followed a similar pattern, with 52 in 2019, 153 in 2020, 71 in 2021, and 44 in 2022.

While much of the data is “accurate but incomplete,” Strickland said, local groups are setting the example for how to better understand the scope of the problem. A report issued by the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force this month examined sex exploitation of children in Mecklenburg County between January 2020 and December 2022.

The report identified a total of 170 unique minors suspected or confirmed as victims of human trafficking in that time through screenings at multiple agencies.

“They are the first ones that's done a study to really try to figure out prevalence in their area,” Strickland said.

Others, including Strickland's nonprofit, are focused on prevention work through a variety of avenues, from law enforcement trainings to webinars and college seminars designed to help others understand the signs of human trafficking.

A talk scheduled for St. Augustine's University in March, for example, is expected to feature a speaker with real life experience during her college years, Strickland said.

Other work is underway with the North Carolina Demand Reduction Task Force comprised of several nonprofits dedicated to human trafficking. That group, which includes NC Stop Human Trafficking, Shield North Carolina, and Legacy of Hope International, aims to address sex buyers fueling sex trafficking.

“My perspective is, well yes, we need to serve those who have already been victimized, but how do we prevent people from getting in this situation?” Strickland said. “Not as much time and energy has been devoted to that.”

“We wouldn't have traffickers out there recruiting teenage girls to sell sex if we didn't have men who wanted to buy sex from teenage girls,” she said. “So that group is working to create a plan to reduce demand in North Carolina.”

The issue is also a top priority for lawmakers, with ongoing work under a Human Trafficking Commission created in 2013. That commission recently highlighted the Mecklenburg County report, and is coordinating its work with regional centers across the United States.

The state commission also coordinates grants and works with nonprofits, and advises lawmakers on legislation, fielding requests from several interested in introducing bills in the 2023 session.

In October, the commission awarded grants to 61 agencies for a total of more than $2 million.