Taking Ownership of Human Trafficking: A Case of Local Government Involvement
North Carolina has consistently ranked in the top 10 in the United States for human trafficking. The state’s entertainment venues like Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte and PNC Arena in Raleigh provide prime locations for trafficking activity. Major transportation routes, including the Wilmington port, I-40, I-95, I-85, and smaller highways, provide easy paths for transportation as well as easy access to other parts of the state and country.
Recently, however, North Carolina has taken action to reduce human trafficking in the state. The government is using an avenue not often thought of to address the issue: North Carolina’s government.
First, the NC Senate passed a Safe Harbor Bill (NCSB 683) aimed to reduce human trafficking in the state in 2013. North Carolina’s bill protects minors under the age of 18 charged with prostitution. Many acts associated with sex trafficking such as prostitution and pornography are viewed as voluntary rather than involving victims. NCSB 683 increases penalties for prostitution in the state and provides protection for victims of exploitation. Under the bill, consent of a minor and mistaken age of minor cannot be used in defense of trafficking. The prostitution offense can be erased from the victim’s record and the offender (the trafficker) is required to compensate victims under the Fair Wages Act.
All of the measures outlined in the Safe Harbor Bill grant protections to victims who often are overlooked or ignored. By taking control at a state government level rather than waiting for federal government involvement, North Carolina has made a commitment to holding itself accountable for the trafficking problem in the state. It is now taking necessary steps toward ownership of the trafficking problem at a more localized level.
A 2017 bulletin published by Margaret Henderson and the UNC School of Government and entitled, “Human Trafficking in NC Strategies for Local Government Officials,” stated that state government can often be used in addressing human trafficking because local governments have the most direct involvement with law enforcement and the judicial system. Further, Henderson posits that social service departments working with vulnerable populations can assist in identifying and intervening in human trafficking. Child protective services and foster care services, in particular, must be aware of the indicators associated with trafficking as they work closely with vulnerable children.
Henderson extends her argument to say that public workers, including trash collectors and environmental inspectors, are in good positions to identify trafficking because their services connect with daily residential life. Finally, Henderson argues that local government staff has the power to act as the “eyes and ears” of the community because of their awareness of what makes potential victims vulnerable.
Human trafficking in North Carolina is often concentrated along major transportation routes, particularly in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham’s Research Triangle, and Wilmington. Henderson’s bulletin is a call to action for hotspots like these as well as other high-risk areas like Greensboro and Asheville. The bulletin is also an invitation for these areas, in which vulnerable groups including college students and immigrants are most likely to live in the state, to take ownership of the problem at the municipality level in addition to the state level.
North Carolina’s government has taken initial steps to mitigate human trafficking by making sure to be on alert and watching residents and citizens closely. To extend these efforts, however, the government could consider taking concrete steps. With detailed training of local maintenance and public works employees, the local government could provide the skills necessary to allow for greater awareness of human trafficking. Moreover, the local government itself could take steps to raise awareness of human trafficking by training local government officials to visit at-risk communities and be aware of signs.
North Carolina is a good example of a place that has taken the important first steps to involve local government in ownership of human trafficking. If states like North Carolina, with high rates of human trafficking, are able to take ownership of the problems occurring within their borders, they will be able to more efficiently treat the problem.
If more states are able to follow North Carolina’s example by being more aware and looking for clear signs of trafficking, it can reduce human trafficking nationally over time. Local governments taking ownership of human trafficking can make a difference, especially if communities work together to create effective awareness programs.
Learning about the way our states or home countries are preventing human trafficking is an important part of our role as advocates. For information, check out your state or national government’s legislative branch information. Advocates also have the power to contact local representatives. Senators and House of Representatives should have information posted to be contacted via e-mail or telephone.
Advocates can also attend town hall-style meetings to gain information and lobby for the cause of the victims. If advocates work to contact representatives and get informed, they can lobby for policies that make a difference at the national, state, and local level.
About the Author
Miranda Cecil is a spring gal who loves traveling to new places as well as her local frozen yogurt pump. When she's not finishing homework or watering her succulents, she loves to ski, read, and play her rollout piano. Miranda is hoping to turn her passion for human rights and safety into a career as she studies political science and urban planning at the University of North Carolina (Go Heels!)