Karen Kistler

karen.kistler@salisburypost.com

 

This is the first part in a two-part series of the annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day event, sharing information from the agency and law enforcement agencies. The second part, which will share information from the survivor perspective and other supporters, will run in the Thursday, Feb. 27, issue of the Salisbury Post.

 

SALISBURY — If you see something, say something.

That was a recurring message shared at the third annual Human Trafficking Awareness Day program during which time multiple speakers provided information and survivor stories. The event was held Feb. 22 at the Tom Smith Auditorium on the Catawba College campus.

As attendees gathered in the auditorium, the Alan Murrah Worship Team from Cornerstone Church in Salisbury provided worship music. In addition to the pre-program music, they also sang several selections during the event and to conclude the day.

Amy Young, executive director of Project Light Rowan, welcomed everyone to the event and told those gathered that their “presence here today speaks volumes about your commitment to eradicating human trafficking and supporting those affected by this heinous crime.”

One of the speakers, Charlene Mooneyham, victim assistance program specialist with the Department of Homeland Security’s Investigations in Mecklenburg County, provided a legal definition of human trafficking, telling that it is a “crime of exploitation,” which she noted is the key word.

Mooneyham said it is a person being used “for the purpose of compelled labor or commercial sex through the use of force, fraud or coercion. One person is forcing another person to work against their will through physical or violent force, fraudulent promises or coercive tactics for their own profit.”

Young said that as director, she has seen firsthand “the impact that a united community can have in the fight against human trafficking.”

Educating, empowering and supporting is Project Light’s mission, she said, as they work to shed light on the “dark realities of human trafficking, equipping our community with the knowledge to recognize the signs and take action to help those who may be at risk.”

Coming together and hearing the experiences and knowledge shared from the speakers was an important aspect of the day as Young said, the insights are invaluable, and “together we can make a difference and create a safer, more informed community.” 

A proclamation shared by Judy Klusman, on behalf of the Rowan County commissioners, declared that Feb. 22, 2025, was Project Light Human Trafficking Awareness Day.

She said it was an honor to be there and that “together, with Project Rowan, we will shine a light on this critical issue and work tirelessly until every victim is free.”

Salisbury Police Chief P.J. Smith likewise said it was an honor for him to be there as well and the stories shared that day had really touched his heart.

He took the opportunity to thank everyone, including members, advocates and supporters of Project Light and for the work that is being done to combat this crime of human trafficking.

He then added that it’s not just a crime, but it’s “an assault on our sheer humanity. It strips people of their dignity, their autonomy and their future. It thrives in the shadows, preying on the vulnerable and exploiting pain for profit.”

Smith told the group that this crime occurs across the globe and here in Rowan County and it is “heartbreaking and unacceptable.”

The numbers of those victimized he said are staggering, but said it’s more than just statistics because “behind every number there is a name, a face and a story of someone’s life that’s forever been changed.”

He assured those listening that this is a deeply personal fight for him as chief and all the members of his department.

“We’re committed to using every resource at our disposal to bring traffickers to justice and to ensure survivors have a pathway for healing,” Smith said.

He said that the officers have been trained to identify the “often hidden signs of trafficking” and they are partnering with regional, state and federal agencies to break up these criminal networks.

Smith encouraged everyone to recommit to the cause, sharing that it’s important to work together to build a county and world where people can “live free of exploitation and fear. A world where freedom and dignity are not privileges for a few, but rights for all.” 

Dr. Jim Duncan, founder of Project Light, echoed the importance of the community working together as he said it takes everybody to get on board and do something.

Mooneyham said that her job, which covers North and South Carolina, is to support the victims that they encounter through their criminal investigations, which she said is mostly human trafficking and child exploitation.

She asked everyone to think what comes to mind when human trafficking is mentioned. She said if young girls being kidnapped and chained in a basement was what they thought of, they would not be alone in that. And while it does happen, it is very rare and something she has never seen.

What she has witnessed, however, and probably the victims they wouldn’t have considered are a middle-aged man picking blueberries on a North Carolina farm, a middle-aged woman cleaning a hotel room or a young child working at a taco truck.

“These are all incidents of human trafficking that I have personally witnessed,” she said.

She provided statistics telling that an estimated 24 million people are being trafficked for sex or labor worldwide on a given day. Six million of them are being trafficked for sex and three times that amount are estimated to be trafficked for labor, 18 million, she said.

Young also said that “heartbreakingly North Carolina ranks in the top 10 states that report cases.”

Human trafficking happens in every county, state, city and neighborhood and cross-border movement doesn’t have to take place, which Mooneyham said is smuggling and is different. 

“A person can be trafficked in their own community and never leave that community,” she said.

Mooneyham also shared that human trafficking is an economic crime with profit being the motivating factor.

“It’s the second most profitable illegal industry in the United States, second to only the drug trade,” saying that it is estimated to generate “illicit profits well over $245 billion annually.”

The issue of human trafficking is right here, Moneyham said, as she told of the various industries they have encountered labor trafficking victims in the state. These have included illicit massage parlors, nail salons, hair salons as well as other beauty businesses, domestic workers who often live in their employer’s household, bars, strip clubs, cantinas and restaurants, workers in factories and manufacturing operations, the construction industry, hotels, hospitality industries, landscaping businesses, commercial cleaning services, forestry and logging operations and the most common is the agricultural industry.

Coming over on H-2A visas, Mooneyham said the workers of labor human trafficking basically come legally, sign a contract with an employer and have an employment authorization card and are told they will be paid a certain wage. They are then not paid, or even held captive.

Having talked with those that have been subjected to human trafficking abuse, she said, “I can tell you that their stories are overwhelming and devastating as you have heard today.”

She concluded with ways that people can help and these included knowing the truth. She said to push back on false and harmful narratives as she said in her time working the victims have known their perpetrators, sometimes being family members or employers or intimate partners and that on average 25 percent of perpetrators are female.

“Trafficking is truly hidden in plain sight,” she said.

Mooneyham also told the group to think about who is vulnerable in the community, including those not connected to resources or those experiencing language barriers or those dealing with mental health issues.

“Trafficking victims don’t stay in these situations because they are necessarily locked or chained up,” she said. “They stay because they don’t know who or how to ask for help. They don’t think they will be believed or they simply have nowhere else to go.” Plus fear is a factor.

Wanting things cheap and cheap labor are also forces behind it and encouraged everyone to consider the consequences of their buying habits. 

Advocating for policy changes can be another way people can help, along with volunteering or providing financially to advocates like Project Light and lastly she said, call the Human Trafficking hotline, call the police, and report any suspicious behavior or provide resources to someone in need. 

“We need everyone to fight this fight,” Mooneyham said.

Duncan said he felt the “trafficking victims protection act of 2000 was a real kick for us fighting human trafficking.”

He said the act has to be updated and approved each year and it has been every year by Democrats and Republicans. 

He added that previously buying sex was a misdemeanor, but as of Dec. 1 it is now a felony; however not in every state.

As for Rowan County, he thanked the county commissioners and county manager, saying “we would not be where we’re at right now if it wasn’t for the county. They have seen what we’re doing, they’re interested in it, they’ve bought into it and they’re keeping us alive and supporting us.”

Young said that by opening your heart and giving, “you are standing up against this injustice and helping to turn the tide.”

Inviting everyone to join in, she said, “your support enables us to be able to educate more people, protect more potential victims and assist more survivors on their journey to healing. No amount is too small, and every dollar brings us one step closer to a world free of human trafficking.”