North Carolina is ranked seventh in the nation for rates of human trafficking. Within North Carolina, Charlotte is ranked first for rates of human trafficking.
Casual Friday, a speaker series that facilitates casual discussion about global issues, invited Mark Blackwell and Monique Johnson of Justice Ministries to educate students on sex trafficking on global and local levels.
Blackwell, president of Justice Ministries, began the anti-human trafficking organization in 2010 after attending Passion, a Christian conference in Atlanta.
“It was at that conference that I learned about what was going on with human trafficking worldwide, as well as in the USA. After sitting through many presentations and break out sessions about the issue, I really felt that God put it on my heart to serve this population of people. I felt a very specific call to respond,” Blackwell said.
Justice Ministries was started in a time when human trafficking was not a mainstream issue. In the entire country, there were only a hundred beds for survivors of trafficking.
“The agencies that did exist at the time were primarily focused on awareness and prevention. Then there were a couple agencies that were trying to get houses started or maybe had just launched a home here and there. But it really came to my attention that there was an extreme limit of bedspace nationwide,” Blackwell said.
After meeting with the federal agencies ICE, Homeland Security and the FBI, he discovered that there was not a large chance of rescue or recovery for victims of human trafficking.
“As a Christian and as a man, I couldn’t just sleep on this issue that a teenage girl in my hometown is being raped for profit every night. It’s the kind of thing that makes you want to knock on every door in the city until you get to the individuals at risk,” Blackwell said.
Justice Ministries focuses on reaching out to victims, relocating them to safe houses, and “rising up.”
“The rise up portion is for those clients who have been with us for years and we’re helping them in paying for counseling, subsidizing rent, helping them navigate the systems to walk their way towards independence,” Blackwell said.
Justice Ministries launched a hotline that was local to Charlotte in 2012. The organization mainly operates within a 50-mile radius of Charlotte. When Blackwell and his team get a call for a victim that needs assistance, response time is kept to three hours.
Monique Johnson works with Justice Ministries as well. She said a major reason for North Carolina being so high on the list for human trafficking is I-85. This interstate runs from Virginia to Alabama.
“It connects with so many other highways, so you can get across the country, you can get all over by just traveling on our highway. That is a great way to transport people,” Johnson said.
Another reason for the high rates is the number of major events that Charlotte regularly hosts. Recently, the city hosted the NBA All-Star Weekend, bringing swarms of tourists. Along with these excited fans, Johnson said, traffickers find their way into the city.
“All-Star weekend was a huge trafficking event, meaning that’s an opportunity for them to bring girls, bring people from all over, to come and serve whoever is in town at that time,” Johnson said.
In 2018 in South Carolina, 13 people were charged with human trafficking and 64 cases were closed, according to Attorney General Alan Wilson’s 2018 Human Trafficking Task Force Annual Report.
“Columbia is more susceptible to trafficking efforts due to its position between both Charlotte and Atlanta. You have a lot of trafficking that takes place there,” Johnson said.
Sargeant Julia Taggart of WUPO heavily encouraged students to download the LiveSafe app. Along with promoting the app, she revealed one of the most common mistake she sees students make when it comes to their safety.
“What we see a lot of is you guys will put those ear buds in and you shut the world out. That is one of the biggest things that I see at night,” Taggart said. “You don’t look when you step off of a curb to see if a car is going to run you down. You’re just so engrossed on what’s going on [the phone]. Take one of those ear buds out. Don’t leave yourself open for an opportunity for somebody to sneak up behind you. That’s a big thing.”
Blackwell emphasized the importance of remaining aware of your surroundings.
“Situational awareness is key for survival.That falls into safety measures as well. Being situationally aware and pre-planning in advance,” Blackwell said.
