In 2020, South Carolina officials faced a difficult year in their fight against human trafficking as they were plagued by the challenges of COVID-19.
The SC Human Trafficking Task Force released its annual report on Monday. The report points to the difficulty that the state task force and its regional counterparts faced in developing training and preventive measures, as well as providing shelter and other assistance to victims during the pandemic.
The report also indicates fears that human trafficking, for both sex and work, may be increasing as more people face economic difficulties. The state no longer has the necessary number of shelters for these victims, and an increase could easily overwhelm existing depleted resources.
“Although human trafficking can happen to anyone, the COVID-19 pandemic has amplified a harsh reality: those who already face physical, emotional, economic, social or other vulnerabilities may face more ways to victimize human trafficking,” said the report .
In an effort to adapt, task forces developed online training and a bilingual online resource library. But the need for resources and financing seemed to outweigh the supply, with several 2019 goals not met, according to the annual report.
The report listed five counties that saw the most recorded human trafficking activity in 2020: Horry, Charleston, Greenville, Richland and Anderson, in that order. Dorchester County moved out of the top five last year, Attorney General Alan Wilson said in a prepared statement.
The state reported 139 cases of human trafficking in the 2020 round. Many cases are never reported.
Human traffickers typically target the state’s most vulnerable populations, taking advantage of people who may be desperate for basic economic needs. Even before the pandemic, South Carolina had one of the country’s worst poverty rates, with an estimated 13.8% of residents living in poverty in 2019 – and therefore much more vulnerable to exploitation.
With rising unemployment and housing instability during the pandemic, more people can be targeted by traffickers.
Homeless individuals are also particularly vulnerable to trafficking, particularly young fugitives, along with members of the LGBTQ community, immigrants and the disabled, the report says. People with a history of abuse or domestic violence, children in orphanages and people dealing with addiction are also more likely to be targeted.
Most of the reported victims are women and people of color are disproportionately affected, says the report.
In addition to material needs, traffickers also take advantage of emotional needs. They exploit vulnerable people with low self-esteem and a “deep desire to belong,” according to the report.
The 2020 data released in the report shows that 61.7% of traffickers were employers of the victims and many used job offers or fake advertisements. About 13 percent of victims were exploited by intimate partners, with about 11 percent taking advantage of family members.
In the report, task force members acknowledge that the obstacles posed by the COVID-19 pandemic will still affect them in 2021.
“As the pandemic worsens, it continues to wreak havoc on economies, health systems, schools and communities across the state. This widespread disruption creates vulnerability to human trafficking and exacerbates the existing economic, social and racial inequalities that can lead to victimization, “report says.
Talk to Fleming Smith at 843-937-5591. Follow her on Twitter at @MFlemingSmith.