By Connie Davis Bushey
News Editor, Baptist and Reflector
KINGSTON SPRINGS — Human trafficking may be a new view of girls and women coerced into a 21st century version of prostitution, or it may be girls and women kidnapped and transported from another country and forced into sexual slavery.
Whichever form of human trafficking it is, more and more people, mainly females, are becoming victims and being trafficked in Tennessee, said a Baptist pastor, law enforcement officials, and an organization leader. They led the Cheatham County Human Trafficking Awareness Night held here on April 2. The event was developed by Mark Sheldon, pastor, Westview Baptist Church, Kingston Springs, and Cheatham County Sheriff Mike Breedlove. Other speakers were Margie Quin of the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, based in Nashville, and Ashleigh Chapman of the Alliance for Freedom, Restoration, and Justice, based in Franklin.
Human trafficking “is becoming more prevalent than people realize,” said Sheldon. The Federal Bureau of Investigation reports about 300,000 people are currently being trafficked in the United States, and many of them can’t be located, he reported.
“If you have a heart, you’re going to get involved in this,” he said.
Sheriff Breedlove said even in this county, which has few residents in comparison to other state counties, two women were being trafficked by a gang of Hispanics in 2011. One reason the county has the problem is that two interstates cross it and there are truck stops on those interstates. Breedlove is a former TBI agent.
All of the speakers affirmed that besides the interstates, truck stops, and gangs, trafficking is fueled by the Internet. Other factors are drug addiction, society, pornography, foster homes, and poverty, they noted.
TBI agent
“Sex trafficking is happening right under our noses,” reported Quin, who is a special agent in charge for the TBI.
Legally, human trafficking is defined as anyone being forced by fraud or coercion to commit a commercial sex act. Even withholding clothing, shelter, and food is a way to force a victim, she cited.
In Tennessee, human trafficking is worse than gang activity, she reported.
During a 24-month period in 2010-12, 85 percent of Tennessee counties reported human trafficking and 72 percent of those counties reported at least one case of sex trafficking of a minor or person under age 18.
Of course, sex trafficking is found more often in Tennessee’s cities, she noted. Recently, the prosecution of sex crimes in Knoxville had increased 30 percent.
The age of sex trafficking victims is “trending younger and younger” as men and boys see pornography on the Internet which is of younger and younger girls and begin “preying on children,” said Quin.
Thus many girls and women are raped. Currently 21,057 registered sex offenders live in Tennessee and the state has one of the highest numbers of these offenders per capita. “And that’s just the ones we catch.”
Sex offenders of children usually molest 50 children before they are caught, she added, which makes this problem much worse.
Another contributing factor to human trafficking in the state is drug use, Quin said. In 2014, 300 children were removed from homes because of the use of methamphetamine by adults in the home.
Society plays a role in all of this, she explained, as people are “inundated with the objectification of women and children,” adding that this can be seen in music and other signs of the culture. Even the “pimp culture” has been glorified as a valid career choice instead of as a criminal enterprise, said Quin.
She asked those present to consider the life of a sex trafficking victim. In a day she usually has to have sex with from 8-15 men. She may be transported from city to city where she knows no one other than her trafficker.
She also is “programmed and brainwashed,” she described.
From the girl’s perspective, she may be under the control of a man, but at least he tells her that he loves her every day, explained Quin. It may seem better to her than her home or foster home situation, she added.
Amazingly, families have trafficked family members “because of extreme poverty,” said Quin.
Some victims are beaten, stomped, burned, and drugged by their traffickers to keep them under control, reported Quin and victims on several videos which were presented. The victims may even be recruited by women who are former victims. Many have sexually transmitted diseases.
Quin told of one young victim of sex trafficking who was placed in a psychiatric facility. Though she is now protected from her trafficker and should be recovering, she hasn’t spoken since she was placed there.
From the trafficker’s or pimp’s perspective, he can make $1,000 a day.
The Internet is the main way women are “sold” continued Quin. Recently on one day 28 ads for women in Nashville were published on one Internet site.
Using a smart phone a person can “call up and order a girl” in a city in Tennessee, she stated. “This is occurring in less time than it takes to get a pizza.”
Tennessee laws
Tennesseans can be proud of their legislators, who have passed laws to make Tennessee one of the best states in terms of legally protecting children from sexual exploitation and in prosecuting criminals who are traffickers, reported Quin.
The laws are much more punitive than those for statutory rape and rape, she noted.
Resources
A human trafficking hot line is available, Quin reported.
Also, she recommended Magdalene, a ministry in Nashville started by a female Episcopal priest for women who are struggling with addiction, trafficking, and prostitution.
Finally, Ashleigh Chapman a lawyer of Franklin, spoke about her organization, Alliance for Freedom, Restoration, and Justice, which provides resources for people in communities who want to help victims of human trafficking.
For more information about the Cheatham County Coalition to Fight Human Trafficking, contact Sheldon at 615-430-2205 or sheldonseven@hotmail.com.
