360% increase: Almost 700 human trafficking victims recorded in SC in 2019, state says
The number of recorded human trafficking victims in South Carolina increased by 360% in 2019, according to a new report from the state attorney general, who says people are more aware of how to report cases.
There were 678 reported victims of human trafficking last year, compared to 188 in 2018, the report says.
Most of the cases involved sex trafficking, according to the report.
“The large increase in victims recorded speaks to efforts across the state to raise awareness of the National Human Trafficking Hotline number so victims know how to reach out for help,” S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a statement releasing the latest annual report of the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force.
Horry County saw the most reports of human trafficking last year, according to the report. Greenville, Richland, Dorchester and Charleston counties followed.
State and local officials have been expanding efforts to reach human trafficking victims, including through presentations in schools and communities and advertising the National Human Trafficking Hotline on billboards and trucks. (The number is 888-373-7888.)
South Carolina reported 156 cases of human trafficking last year from the hotline, up from 127 the year before, according to the report. Among last year’s cases, 113 involved sex trafficking across the state, and 35 were for labor, the report says.
Fourteen people were charged with human trafficking last year in the state, according to the report, and 68 earlier cases are still pending.
Most victims in the cases were women and involved escort services, massage parlors and prostitution, the report said.
This story was originally published January 10, 2020 at 2:19 PM with the headline "360% increase: Almost 700 human trafficking victims recorded in SC in 2019, state says."
