Human Trafficking Up in South Carolina

By: Kristen Nastasia | News Channel 7
Published: March 30, 2009

It is all about location.

The same is true for human traffickers, looking to set up shop in what investigators say is a big money making business.

"There is no boundaries on human trafficking cases, these victims can be found anywhere," Michael Hildebrand said Monday, while he was teaching a class on the subject to law enforcement and social service investigators from South Carolina. "I think those of us who are in the community a good bit, have run across victims of human trafficking."

Cases have been found in every walk of life, including places such as hotels, construction companies, carnivals, street peddlers and even restaurants.

"The small mom-and-pop operations will actually bring in workers from their home country and force them to work under real bad or harsh conditions making no or little money because they don't know any better. So, your waitress or your waiter or kitchen staff can very easily be a human trafficking victim," Hildebrand said.

There are warning signs you can look for in your own neighborhood that signal a problem. It's the same things Hildebrand is teaching to investigators who, right now, have little knowledge about the problem.

"Trafficking has been around for a long time. But, we as a society, have been focused on other problems, whether it be drugs or domestic violence or terrorism," Hildebrand said.

"When you see a large group of women that's being monitored closely by a man, that's a large indicator of human trafficking because these women are often times controlled and the man you see is either a guard or the trafficker himself. Also, if you see a group like that at a pay phone, that is another indicator," Hildebrand said.

Other indicators including homes with large fences and barbed wire with security cameras or dogs, blacked out windows on homes or beds stacked outside.

For more information on how you can get involved with a new coalition starting here to end slavery in South Carolina: www.notforsalecampaign.org

The first meeting of the SC Anti-Trafficking Coalition is Thursday, April 2nd, at the Hughes main library branch in downtown Greenville. Every one is welcome to learn more about the issue.