NASHVILLE – A statewide women’s group today launched a campaign to help educate law enforcement, middle school personnel, emergency room workers and others about human trafficking and encourage use of a state hotline to report cases.
Calling trafficking, including the that of underage girls, “modern day slavery,” Ann Coulter of the Women’s Fund of Greater Chattanooga said at a state Capitol news conference that “our focus is on getting this information about the hotline to the people out there who are most likely to run across one of these girls.”
The Chattanooga group and similar organizations in Memphis and Nashville joined together to create the the Women’s Fund Alliance, raising $150,000 to bring greater awareness of human trafficking and the 1-855-558-6484 hotline. The line is operated by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Callers can report suspected incidents confidentially to trained professionals.
Coulter said that while the $150,000 isn’t enough for a statewide television buy, it will help spread the word.