S.C. leaders look for ways to shelter young trafficking victims
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - Last year, more than 90% of all suspected human trafficking survivors in South Carolina were children or teenagers.
But there’s just one emergency shelter in the entire state for minors rescued from trafficking.
In his budget request for this year, South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson asked lawmakers for more than $10 million to expand emergency shelter access for the youngest survivors of human trafficking.
“You’re talking about several hundred children who are possibly victims of human trafficking, and they’re possibly being returned to a home or a community where the trafficking occurred, and there’s no place to put them, no place to protect them,” Wilson said.
Wilson made the request on behalf of the South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force, which he chairs.
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There’s only one emergency shelter where minors can stay right now in all of South Carolina, and it has 15 beds.
Wilson’s request would go toward grants for organizations to open four additional shelters for minors – three for girls and one for boys.
Lighthouse for Life is a one Midlands-based nonprofit that plans to open emergency shelters for child and teen trafficking survivors.
But that’s not an easy process – and one of the biggest challenges is securing money to do it.
The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division identified nearly 500 suspected minor trafficking victims just last year.
“And I even think that’s a very lowball number. I imagine it’s in the thousands. But if we really did identify all the cases, where do they go? Currently, that’s the — there’s no good answer,” said Lisa Kejr, Lighthouse for Life CEO.
Budget writers have allocated money for this in their spending plans – but not the full $10 million Wilson requested.
The House approved $1 million, and the Senate allocated $5 million.
In the coming weeks, they’ll work out what the final amount will be.
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