Kathryn Moorehead of the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force. | Submitted
Kathryn Moorehead of the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force. | Submitted
Human trafficking victims need many things, but a place to stay and a safe bed to sleep in tops the list.
The South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force hopes to provide more housing for victims rescued from human trafficking. At its quarterly meeting Dec. 3, it discussed expanding shelter space for victims in recovery.
Kathryn Moorehead, who heads the task force, said the effort to assist trafficking victims is lacking the resources to provide basics, especially housing.
“We are in dire need of housing. We have the one residential program for minor female sex trafficking victims, and we have one residential program for adult female sex trafficking victims,” Moorehead told Palmetto State News. “We have nothing for males across the board and we’re lacking in the number of beds. We have very limited housing in South Carolina.
“I can tell you last year from Jan. 1 to Nov. 30, and you're ahead of the game with this data coming out in our annual report on Jan. 10," she added. "But I can tell you there are 236 kids identified as trafficking victims within the Department of Social Services’ care. That includes both boys and girls, and we have one residential program for girls who've been sex trafficked and that has 10 beds.”
Moorehead has been working with task force members, as well as South Carolina first lady Peggy McMaster. They hope to obtain residential facilities for victims, she said.
“I’ve been working with members of the task force, as well as leaders of the state agencies in South Carolina trying to identify properties,” Moorehead said. “We want to develop acute care centers, acute care resource centers at minimum of four locations in South Carolina so that we can immediately transport minor victims who need crisis stabilization, forensic interviews, all of that but have a residential component, and we're hoping to partner with our children's advocacy center to do that. But, once again, we need the resources to be able to make that a reality.”
An annual allocation from the South Carolina General Assembly would be beneficial, she said.
The task force is multidisciplinary and includes 12 subcommittees and an advisory council. Ten agencies or departments are represented.
- Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation
- South Carolina Police Chiefs Association
- South Carolina Sheriffs’ Association
- State Law Enforcement Division
- Department of Health and Environmental Control Board
- State Office of Victim Assistance
- South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination
- Department of Social Services
- Office of the Governor
- Department of Employment and Workforce
The state also extended an invitation of membership to representatives of the U.S. Department of Labor, the Office of the United States Attorney, and federal law enforcement agencies within the state including the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office.
“We also provide guidance to all the regional task force,” Moorehead said. “In 2018 legislation was passed, positioning the task force in the AG’s office to develop criteria for those who are working with victims of trafficking. And we started with a state-level individual certification for professionals, and this year we're rolling out the certification for the actual agencies that are working with victims and survivors. And we’re also working very closely with a number of other stakeholders across the state to try to sort of encourage those who are already running programs elsewhere to come to South Carolina.”
South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force members recently spoke with a nonprofit human trafficking prevention organization, Safe House Project, which hopes to rid the United States of child human trafficking by 2030.
Safe House Project helps other organization establish safe housing for human trafficking victims. Project CEO Kristi Wells said providing safe housing is a crucial aspect to rescuing victims.
“Without a safe place to go, 80% of survivors will end up back in traffickers’ hands,” Wells said.
According to the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force, in 2020, there were 139 cases of human trafficking reported and 179 victims discovered. There were 96 cases of sex trafficking, 22 cases of labor trafficking, nine cases of sex and labor trafficking together and 12 unspecified trafficking cases.
According to the U.S. Justice Department website, the federal government awarded $101 million in 2020 to combat human trafficking.
On Dec. 3, the Biden administration announced an updated National Action Plan to Combat Human Trafficking.
“The plan draws on survivor voices and recommendations over the years on how to prevent human trafficking and provide the appropriate resources to protect and respond to the needs of individuals who have experienced human trafficking,” according to a release from the White House.
“Survivor engagement is critical for empowerment and establishing effective victim-centered and trauma-informed anti-trafficking policies and strategies,” it noted. “The National Action Plan emphasizes recommendations from survivor-led groups, including the U.S. Advisory Council on Human Trafficking, to include input from individuals with lived experiences within our strategic responses.”
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