Shine a Light on Slavery Day
This year Shine a Light on Slavery Day is Thursday, February 13. Human Trafficking or Sex Trafficking is a form of slavery and it’s a problem in East Tennessee.
When people think about sex trafficking, they usually think of Hollywood depictions like the movie Taken or they think of young women and children being abducted by strangers and then sold into the sex trade. Unfortunately for victims and law enforcement, sex trafficking in our community is much more subtle.
The most common form of sex trafficking in the State of Tennessee is familial which means parents are trafficking their own children. When the trafficker is a parent, it is even harder to recognize that a child is a victim of sex trafficking. Another form of human trafficking, particularly for adolescent victims, is what is referred to as ‘survival sex’ which allows them to meet basic needs such as food or shelter.
According to the National Trafficking Hotline, 87 percent of victims are under the age of 25. Every 2 minutes a child is sold for sex in the US.
Please join Knox County District Attorney General Charme Allen and her office in shining a light on slavery. Provided below are a list of local resources and initiatives that are working to help eliminate sex trafficking in our community. Learn how you can spot and stop human trafficking in East Tennessee.