Tuesday, Feb 9, 2010 Posted on Tue, Jan. 12, 2010
Human trafficking threat real in Myrtle Beach area
Officials attend awareness event
By Claudia Lauer
clauer@thesunnews.com
The Grand Strand has several qualities that make it susceptible to human trafficking, according to speakers at an event Monday to commemorate International Human Trafficking Awareness Day.
The event at the Myrtle Beach International Airport was hosted by the Eastern Carolina Coalition Against Human Trafficking and featured several members of law enforcement, as well as S.C. Rep. Nelson Hardwick. He plans to introduce a resolution this week recognizing Human Trafficking Awareness Day and file legislation to strengthen laws against trafficking. .
"Human trafficking is the fastest growing global crime industry in the world. It generated $31 billion last year," said Kelly O'Neill-Bagwell, president of ECCHAT, which was formed in Conway in 2008. "An estimated 1 million people are trafficked each year across international borders. When you include those who are trafficked within national borders, that number can rise to up to four times that amount."
Trafficking, the holding and transport of a person against their will by use of fear or other coercion or control, is often tied to other crimes such as drug trade or prostitution. It can also be tied to the service industry or to agricultural work. About 80 percent of people who are trafficked are women and children, according to statistics from the U.S. Department of Justice.
O'Neill-Bagwell said she was looking at a map of instances of alleged trafficking and was struck by how few cases appeared in South Carolina. After talking to law enforcement officials, she said she found out that wasn't because it didn't happen here, but that no one was reporting them and victims weren't coming forward.
"We would be sticking our heads in the sand to think that it wasn't happening inside of South Carolina," said Lt. Buddy Wilkes with the S.C. Law Enforcement Division. "I think that awareness and accurate instance numbers go hand in hand. It's a Catch-22 in some ways. You have to increase awareness to get people to come forward and record accurate statistics. In some ways you have to have those statistics to convince people that it's a problem they need to be aware of."
A speaker from the FBI, Mike Beauford, said several cases have been prosecuted in South Carolina in the last few years, including a case outside Columbia where a 14-year-old girl was illegally brought into the United States from Mexico, kept as a prisoner in a trailer and prostituted by her captors, who were eventually convicted under the trafficking laws.
Because the Grand Strand has large immigrant communities that don't always speak English, and because of the seasonal, transient nature of some businesses, the area has more potential for trafficking.
Myrtle Beach police reports often show requests from out-of-state law enforcement agencies to assist in arresting runaways and returning them to their families.
Although no leads have panned out, there were several suggestions that missing teen Brittanee Drexel might have been a victim of human trafficking. A continued search over the weekend near Charleston for the teen, who disappeared last spring, did not turn up any new leads or clues.
Hardwick said the potential legislation needs some more work before he discusses details, but said it would look at the penalties for human trafficking offenses. He said he expects to be able to introduce the legislation in the next few weeks.
Contact CLAUDIA LAUER at 626-0301.
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