TBI: Hamilton one of state’s leading counties for sex trafficking

Hamilton County is one of eight in Tennessee that have reported more than 100 cases of adult human sex trafficking over the past 24 months, a TBI study reports.

The study, which TBI says is the first-ever study of human sex trafficking in the state, says Hamilton, Shelby, Davidson, Knox, Madison, Lawrence, Coffee and Franklin counties each reported more than 100 cases.

Eighty-five percent of the state’s 95 counties reported at least one case of sex trafficking, the study states.

“Human trafficking and sex slavery in Tennessee is more common than previously believed possible,” said TBI Director Mark Gwyn in the study. “Focused specifically on victims between the ages of nine and 17, the study pulled together details that found children are moved from city to city in the state and sold as prostitutes. Tennessee, simply because of its geographical position to Atlanta and the large number of interstates that cross the state, is conducive to a traveling business.”

The study was conducted by the TBI and the Vanderbilt Center for Community Studies and included input from law enforcement, social services agencies, state and federal prosecutors and court representatives, TBI says.

For complete details, see tomorrow’s Times Free Press.