2019 Annual Report shows 360% increase in S.C. human trafficking victims

On Friday, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson released the Human Trafficking Task Force's 2019 Annual Report.

Columbia, S.C. (WOLO) —  On Friday, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson released the Human Trafficking Task Force’s 2019 Annual Report. The report focuses on the statewide efforts to prevent and prosecute these crimes, along with protecting the victims.

The top five counties with reported human trafficking are Horry, Greenville, Richland, Dorchester and Charleston. But Wilson said just because a county is not listed in the top five does not mean trafficking isn’t happening there. These counties are just where the most reports came in.

“Human trafficking is still a major problem in South Carolina, but we are starting to see trends that show more and more people are becoming aware and are reporting it,” said Wilson.

Through the Task Force, more people are becoming aware of the issue.

“The biggest news is that number of victims recorded in South Carolina, through these statistics, this year there were 678 victims, which is a 360% increase in the number of victims from the previous year. Last year’s number, I believe, was about 188,” said Wilson.

He said that the rise in victims could be from the Task Force’s efforts to spread awareness.

“We don’t view an increase in the reports as necessarily a bad thing, we see it as people are becoming aware, people are becoming more engaged because of all the folks standing here,” said Wilson.

At the press conference on Friday, Wilson also announced that the South Carolina Beer Wholesalers Association (SCBWA) is now a member of the State Task Force. They want to help make the issue more well-known around the state.

“We have over 2,500 men and women who work in the beer distribution in the state. They’re all beginning to undergo training, and what that training is going to do is gonna help them recognize the signs of human trafficking while they’re out in the market,” said Lance Boozer, SCBWA Executive Director.

They hope their efforts lead to more drivers seeing the National Human Trafficking Hotline Number.

“We’ve got hundreds of vehicles that roam the roads of South Carolina every day. So we’ve some signage that’s on the back, again, those will also have the Human Trafficking Hotline number on the back of those vehicles. And they will be seen by hundreds of thousands of motorists,” said Boozer.

At the press conference, S.C. First Lady Peggy McMaster proclaimed January 2020 to be Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

If you have any questions on what signs to look for or want more information, click here to go to the Attorney General’s website.