The Lowcountry Human Trafficking Task Force will host a community address on Wednesday Jan. 13 at Faith Walterboro. January is National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
The community address will be from 10 a.m. until noon in a large sanctuary at Faith Walterboro, 858 Bells Hwy., Walterboro. Registration begins at 9:30 a.m. The program will start promptly at 10 a.m.
The event is open to the public, but registration is strongly encouraged, as seating is limited to allow for social distancing. Masks are required. To register, contact Sheila Roemeling at sclchttf@gmail.com or by calling (843) 338-8896.
State and local officials will provide updates, trends and a forecast in the fight against human trafficking. The chairman of the state task force and S.C. Attorney General Alan Wilson is scheduled to speak.
Other presenters will include 14th Circuit Solicitor Duffie Stone; Capt. Shane Roberts and Sgt. Edward Marcurella of the Colleton County Sheriff’s Office; and Sheila Roemeling, executive director of Fresh Start Healing Heart.
Capt. Roberts has served as co-chairman of the task force while Sgt. Marcurella is incoming co-chairman. Duties as co-chairperson include coordinating with the 14th Judicial Circuit, assisting and getting them involved in investigating the crime of human trafficking in and around the 14th Circuit jurisdiction, as well as educating citizens, conducting seminars, and getting community members involved in the cause.
The state Human Trafficking Task Force reported a 360-percent increase in the number of trafficking victims recorded in South Carolina, as well as an increase in the number of human-trafficking cases reported in the state.
Human-trafficking is the action or practice of illegally transporting people from one country or area to another, typically for forced labor or commercial sexual exploitation.
“One of our main priorities is educating citizens on the things to look for to identify if this activity is taking place. In return, this will lead to more people contacting law enforcement, due to knowing key identifiers associated with this crime, assisting law enforcement in putting an end to the human trafficking epidemic,” Marcurella said.
Indicators of human trafficking may include:
• Does the person appear disconnected from family, friends, community organizations, or houses of worship?
• Has a child stopped attending school?
• Has the person had a sudden or dramatic change in behavior?
• Is a juvenile engaged in commercial sex acts?
• Is the person disoriented or confused, or showing signs of mental or physical abuse?
• Does the person have bruises in various stages of healing?
• Is the person fearful, timid, or submissive?
• Does the person show signs of being denied food, water, sleep or medical care?
• Is the person often in the company of someone to whom he or she defers? Or someone who seems to control the situation, somewhere they go or who they talk to?
