Advocacy Groups Work To Combat Rise in Human Trafficking Across East Tennessee

Image Credit: Victoria Pickering / CC

The Tennessee Conservative [By Jason Vaughn] –

Organizations in East Tennessee work to support victims of human trafficking as incidents of the crime continue to rise across the region.

Just last month, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation made an announcement regarding the arrest of eight men after law enforcement officers conducted a two-day undercover operation in Sevier County.

The TBI Human Trafficking Unit conducted 13 different undercover investigations in 2021, with many of those taking place in East Tennessee. Those investigations led to the capture of over 130 individuals.

Estimates show that, on average, 85 minors are trafficked in Tennessee each month.

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According to Rana Zakaria, a community educator with the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking (CCAHT), says people still do not comprehend the prevalence of this type of crime in the state.

“Lots of time, folks are shocked and surprised,” Zakaria said. “We have worked with clients from the youngest age of three all the way up to 60. It’s like cancer. It knows no boundaries.”

People also do not understand that human trafficking crimes are often committed by someone who is familiar to the victim, not by a complete stranger.

“Lots of times, victims are targeted or exploited by someone that they did know. They’re related to this person, they’re in a relationship with this person, making it the perfect crime,” according to Zakaria.

CCAHT reports that 300 reports of human trafficking were made to their organization in 2021. To date, they have received 85 this year and expect that many more will come in before the end of the year.

Zakaria notes the importance of organizations such as CCAHT.

“There’s so much victim blaming to human trafficking, and these individuals, they need us to advocate for them,” stated Zakaria.

Devin Payne, executive director of Street Hope TN, states that many victims need a secure place to go after getting out of these situations.

“They need a safe place where they could fine healing and hope,” said Payne.

Street Hope TN recently opened a new safe home for girls ages 12-17 in hopes of providing such a place for victims of that age.

“We do have resources in the state of Tennessee, for safe housing and restoration for adults, but when it comes to children, there are none. Not really,” stated Payne.

Garland Oaks, the new home, is in an undisclosed location in East Tennessee, providing safe and secure for the residents. Girls staying there will be given the opportunity for therapy and education, along with other enrichment options.

“The whole idea is when they leave, that they will be empowered to thrive,” Payne said.

CCAHT is also offering free training sessions in person or via Zoom to help East Tennessee residents learn how to identify and respond to human trafficking.

“Sign up for a training because then we can kind of address all those questions that you have,” said Zakaria. “We can talk about the basics for folks that just want to know more about it, and then we can really go into detail with folks that are in social work or human services, even law enforcement or medical professionals.”

About the Author: Jason Vaughn, Media Coordinator for The Tennessee Conservative  ~ Jason previously worked for a legacy publishing company based in Crossville, TN in a variety of roles through his career.  Most recently, he served as Deputy Director for their flagship publication. Prior, he was a freelance journalist writing articles that appeared in the Herald Citizen, the Crossville Chronicle and The Oracle among others.  He graduated from Tennessee Technological University with a Bachelor’s in English-Journalism, with minors in Broadcast Journalism and History.  Contact Jason at news@TennesseeConservativeNews.com