Our growing war against human trafficking

Editorial by Jacksonville Daily News, January 21, 2018.

At first glance, the statistic is mind-boggling: In the last fiscal year, there were 48 human trafficking cases filed in North Carolina courts. Twenty-seven of them were filed in Cumberland County. The next-closest number came from Pitt County, which saw four human trafficking cases in its courtrooms.

How could that be? Is the human trafficking problem in Fayetteville that much worse than anywhere else? It may well be pretty bad, because of a combination of factors. For one, Interstate 95 runs though, and “America’s Main Street” is a well-traveled route for human traffickers. Fayetteville is about the halfway point between New York and Miami, both big markets and suppliers of the human-trafficking trade. And Fayetteville is home of the most populous military installation in the country. There’s a link between military posts and the sexual-servitude segment of the trafficking trade. Fayetteville also has one of the more serious opioid problems in the country — we rank 18th nationally, according to one survey. Many of the people caught up in trafficking have addiction problems.

But here’s the rest of the story, and it’s important: Fayetteville may be the most vigilant community in the state about human trafficking, devoting greater resources to it than most. And that’s making a difference. Fayetteville is shutting down more traffickers and helping more victims than anyone else. That’s no accident. Fayetteville Police Sgt. Michael Hardin, who supervises a trafficking unit with five detectives, says, “Human trafficking is happening everywhere and no particular place is immune. The numbers simply reflect the work we are doing here.”

Education is part of the solution too. The police, sheriff’s office and local nonprofits all spend time making presentations to government agencies, civic groups, schools and community watch groups. It pays off. Hardin says many of the cases his unit investigates begin with tips from the public. “As folks are becoming more educated, they are keying in on signs and indicators of human trafficking happening around them,” Hardin says. “As a result, we are able to open and investigate more and more cases.”

We hope other cities are paying attention. Human trafficking is the 21st century version of slavery and it’s widespread across the country. It sometimes involves captive illegal immigrants, but more often preys on people who live here.

We’re hoping that Fayetteville and other cities gets the reputation of a tough place for human traffickers to do business, a town where there will be severe consequences for those who trade in human beings. The rest of the state should follow our lead.

- Gatehouse Media

http://www.jdnews.com/opinion/20180121/editorial-our-growing-war-against-human-trafficking