Human Trafficking in Tennessee is Growing

Jan 07, 2016 at 09:56 am by bryan


Human-rights organizations are increasingly concerned about what's happening behind closed doors in homes and businesses across Tennessee. With January being Human Trafficking Prevention Month, people such as Jenna Novak who work with victims of the practice defined as modern-day slavery want people to know the warning signs.

"You'll see signs where individuals that are working either in restaurants or nail salons are not able to look you in the eye," she said, "or they were living at the location and they're not allowed to leave that location."

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40 Cases of sex trafficking were confirmed in Tennessee in 2015, according to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center. The group also reports that since 2007 they have received 1,317 calls about possible human trafficking issues and 316 cases were investigated. Out of those cases, the organization confirmed that 381 victims were confirmed since '07.

Novak said sex trafficking is easier to recognize and more often reported than labor trafficking. Additional warning signs include the person in question working excessively long or unusual hours, not being allowed breaks or having unusual restrictions, and appearing in poor physical and mental health.

To request help or report suspected human trafficking, call the hotline at 1-888-373-7888 or text "HELP" to "BeFree" on your cell phone.

Novak, a regional specialist for Polaris, the company that implements the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline, said it's important to take action if you suspect someone is caught in a dangerous situation.

"Pick up the phone and call the hotline number if they believe that they know of a trafficking situation, a potential trafficking victim," she said. "They can call us and they can report that to us directly."

Since 2007, the hotline has received more than 96,000 calls, and identified more than 40,000 victims.

More information is online at traffickingresourcecenter.org.

Source:

Partner Station WMSR

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