MURFREESBORO. Tenn. (BARKER) -- Seventy-three of Tennessee’s 95 counties reported at least one incident of human trafficking in 2011. In the four years since, Tennessee legislators have passed 36 laws that they hope will help state and local police get a handle on the problem. In addition, a number of charities have also joined efforts to aid victims.
The most recent trafficking law to come out of the Tennessee General Assembly went into effect on July 1. The measure authorizes the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to hire 4 special agents who will train police departments statewide on how to investigate and assist with human trafficking cases. TBI spokesman Josh Devine says the law sends a very strong message to people who are trying to sell individuals for sex in the state of Tennessee.
“We’re putting them on notice. We want them to know that we are investigating these cases were committed to this particular issue, and we’re gonna do what it takes to see it stop in TN,” Devine said.
The new law will also offer some relieve to the victims. According to Senator Bill Ketron of Murfreesboro, often times minors who are trafficked aren’t aware the law considers them victims until they turn 18. Josh Devine says these victims will now have a chance to recover without law enforcement deeming them guilty for selling themselves.
“If a law enforcement department arrests a 16-year-old for prostitution she can’t be charged with prostitution because it’s been decriminalized for minors, so what we’re seeing right now is a change in mentally when it comes to this particular issue that law enforcement is taking a second look at people who are arrested for prostitution and asking could this potentially be someone who is a victim of human trafficking?” he said.
The new law also provides a longer timeframe of 25 years for minor victims to come forward and testify against their abusers. Josh Devine says promoting the prostitution of minors goes hand in hand with aspects of human trafficking. Devine believes this is the time for Tennessee to do everything possible to put an end to trafficking in Tennessee.
“We realize that we have the momentum, we now have the law enforcement officers from the TBI dedicated solely to this issue right now, we have public opinion on our side… and we want to put human traffickers on notice that we’re coming for you,” he said.
Earlier this year, the TBI teamed up with the service organization, End Slavery Tennessee, after several mid-state massage parlors were raided on suspicion of prostitution. The charity aided at least 5 young women identified as victims in those raids. Founder Derri Smith says that victims are more likely to participate in putting away their traffickers when they have community support.
“There just can’t be enough law enforcement around to identify 94 minors a month who are trafficked in our state plus all of those are 18 and over, so it takes the community to spot red flags,” Smith said.
State officials say younger victims in particular benefit from the passage of the new law. Smith says the wider community has to be just as involved as law enforcement when it comes to resolving Tennessee’s human trafficking issue.
“We need to change from looking at that fourteen year old girl as, well she’s just a troubled child, she’s just a juvenile delinquent, or she’s a troubled kid, to recognizing if a fourteen year old is being sold for sex, somebody’s exploiting them and there’s a story behind what got her there,” she said.
Four years and 36 laws later, the TBI says Tennessee has become the second best state in the nation at combating human trafficking.
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