BERKELEY COUNTY, S.C. – Berkeley County was one of the top five counties in the state for human trafficking cases last year, according to a report released Thursday by the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force.
South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson, who serves as chair of the task force, announced the 2023 findings at the State House. Task Force leadership joined him for the release, including local, state, and federal law enforcement.
In 2023, the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division reported opening 357 cases that included nearly 500 potential victims, most of those minors being sex trafficked.
SLED’s data also showed that human trafficking cases were opened in 40 counties, with only six not reporting any cases.
The counties with the most cases in 2023 include Richland (43), Greenville (34), Horry and Aiken (24 each), Berkeley (23), Charleston, Spartanburg, and Lexington (21 each), Dorchester (18), and York (13).
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The National Human Trafficking Hotline data showed that two counties tied for the most incidents reported to the hotline. Greenville and Horry ranked number one, Charleston County was second place followed by Richland and Spartanburg that tied for third. Aiken ranked fourth and Lexington and Orangeburg Counties tied for fifth place.
“Human trafficking continues to grow in South Carolina, just as it does around the country and the world. Last year, we saw an increase in the number of victims. That shows that we need to continue our work and do everything we can to raise awareness of this crime so the public can know what to look for and report what they see,” Attorney General Wilson said.
The Task Force launched TraffickProofSC in 2023, the first statewide prevention education initiative. The first curriculum created was designed for middle and high school students and is available for free to schools and youth-serving organizations across the state.
“Human traffickers are mostly targeting vulnerable children and youth in our state,” Kathryn Moorehead, Director of the Task Force, said. “Our goal is to ultimately prevent the crime while we work to develop much-needed services to help victims.”
To report an incident or seek victim services, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888. The Hotline is confidential and open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
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