BY KARISSA MILLER

A group of girls attending the Abby Winthrop SMART Girls Leadership Camp learned about the signs of human trafficking or modern-day slavery on the campus of Mitchell Community College on Tuesday morning.

Guest speaker Jim Duncan, founder of Project LIGHT in Rowan County, explained that human trafficking involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to introduce someone into labor or sexual exploitation.

Duncan explained that vulnerability or the ability to easily be hurt or harmed can make people targets of human trafficking. He asked the group to take 30 seconds to write down what they think makes a person vulnerable to human trafficking.

Project LIGHT Director Amy Young read aloud their responses, as follows:
• When someone doesn’t know how to say no or stick up for themselves;
• Leaving their house and becoming a runaway;
• Being alone and not knowing your surroundings;
• Walking alone and having bad family problems;
• No parental supervision; and
• Unstable or weak mental state.

“You are actually teaching this class to one another. These are good responses,” Duncan said.

He then held up a poster of two dogs with a fierce look on their faces guarding a young girl.

“This dog right here, that’s me. This dog is Ms. Amy. What we are trying to say is you need to be protected. You need to be treated right. You need to be able to grow and nurture and do the right thing. That is what we are here for,” he said.

North Carolina ranks in the top 10 among the states with the most human trafficking. Duncan said that the City of Charlotte ranks No. 1 among cities with the most human trafficking.

He shared some of the vulnerabilities data with the group. Out of 202 unique clients, they found:

• 67.12 percent of victims came from a household where parents were separated;
• 53.15 percent of cases involved sexual abuse; and
• 45.95 percent of cases involved emotional neglect

If parents are separated, it doesn’t mean that someone is being trafficked, but that they are just more vulnerable, he said.

“Nobody should touch you where they shouldn’t touch you. Your body is your body,” Duncan told the students. “A man is no more important than a woman. You are important. Every one of you.”

He also said that people who are emotionally neglected aren’t getting the attention they need. Be careful, he cautioned the students, about people who come alongside you that make you feel good for their own purposes.

During the presentation, he shared a testimonial video of human trafficking survivors. The speakers described socio-economic vulnerabilities and other unstable home factors that led them to become victims of human trafficking. Fortunately, they were both able to find a way out and get help.

Young explained that the Internet is one of the biggest cultural threats to human trafficking. She encouraged students to protect themselves while on the Internet.

“You may think you are posting an innocent picture of you and your friends out, but a perpetrator may look at that picture in another light,” Young said. “They are looking at where you are, what restaurant you are at, who you are with and may start canvasing that area.”

Young also shared these Internet safety tips:
• Protect yourself by making sure your privacy settings don’t share personal information publicly.
• Use strong passwords and change them frequently.
• Review posts that you have been tagged in and refuse any tags that you don’t feel comfortable with.

Duncan encouraged students to save the human trafficking hotline number in their phone 1-888-373-7888 or text the hotline at BEFREE (233733).

About Project LIGHT

Project LIGHT, which stands for “Let’s Interrupt Growing Human Trafficking,” is a nonprofit that supports schools, churches, police departments and government agencies on how to notice and report human trafficking.

This free community resource offers educational seminars, shares the signs of human trafficking, helps support survivors in their recovery, trains teams to help specific communities and more.

Duncan is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and Green Beret. After retiring from the military, he brought the first Junior ROTC program to Rowan County. He first began working with human trafficking through the Salvation Army.

“The Lord put it on my heart to try and do something. We have to stop this before this happens,” he said in an interview.

Project LIGHT first started out in a small area in Rockwell.

However, Duncan explained that the county commissioners wanted the group to move into a more visible area and they are now located in a bigger building in Salisbury at 1935 Jake Alexander Blvd., Suite C4.

LEARN MORE

Visit projectlightrowanht.org or call them at 704-223-6143 to have them speak at your church, school or event. Free literature information is available in both English and Spanish.