North Carolina is offering $50K grants to help combat human trafficking. Advocates share what their work involves

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The North Carolina Human Trafficking Commission has announced $50,000 grants are available to support organizations that assist victims of human trafficking. This funding comes as January is recognized as Human Trafficking Awareness Month.

Recent statistics indicate that North Carolina continues to rank among the top 10 states with the highest number of trafficking cases. Advocates are working to find solutions to the issue, with a focus on identifying and supporting vulnerable populations.

Lenore Brown, Anti-Trafficking Program Coordinator for the Council for Women and Youth Involvement, said poverty plays a significant role in the prevalence of trafficking. 

“Poverty is an exploiter,” Brown stated. 

She emphasized that the more poverty there is, the greater the risk that struggling individuals could become victims of human trafficking. 

“They don’t have access to food within the community, that individual may have children — and their partner is their perpetrator,” she added.

Hannah Arrowood, founder of Present Age Ministries, echoed Brown’s sentiments, stating that victims of human trafficking typically know their trafficker. 

“Most oftentimes there’s been some sort of relationship, whether it’s online, whether it’s digital, whether it’s in person, from a school, from a work environment,” Arrowood said.

In Fiscal Year 2023, victim service groups funded by the state reported working with nearly 800 survivors of human trafficking. Brown shared that trafficking victims are often seeking shelter or better opportunities but end up in exploitative situations. 

“It’s someone that came to this nation trying to have a better opportunity and they’re working within our fields so we can have food, and now they’re working in poor conditions and they’re being exploited,” Brown provided as an example.

The Council for Women and Youth Involvement works to connect organizations that help victims and provides training to those on the front lines. 

“Our intentions are really to work alongside organizations that may historically just really focused solely on domestic violence, on being able to identify what human trafficking is,” Brown explained.

Another group addressing human trafficking in the state is called Shield North Carolina. The organization focuses on prevention by offering training to empower community members. 

“For example, we teach medical staff the red flags they should be looking for such as patterns in their medical charts, which may be really different signs than what we teach teachers,” said founder Nicole Bernard. “Red flags might be a student coming in with new expensive clothing or their missing a lot of school.”

Addressing inequalities and the lack of resources in underserved communities is essential in reducing the risks of trafficking, according to Brown. 

“When people’s needs are not met, desperation takes place,” she said.

In addition to the grants, a new law enacted in June requires employees of lodging establishments and vacation rentals to undergo human trafficking awareness training. This effort aims to increase awareness and help workers recognize the signs of trafficking in order to prevent it and alert authorities.

If you or a loved one is facing domestic violence, help is readily available. You can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 or text START to 88788. Resources for help are available in both North Carolina and South Carolina. 

Contact Julia Kauffman at jkauffman@wcnc.com and follow her on Facebook, X and Instagram. 

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