Why human trafficking is a problem in Aiken County

AIKEN, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson says human trafficking is growing in the Palmetto State and across the country.

And it’s a problem in Aiken County.

Wilson released the latest statistics a few days ago, showing 500 potential victims of human trafficking throughout South Carolina in 2023.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division opened 357 cases covering 40 out of the 46 counties in the state.

Our backyard had the fourth most of those cases, with Aiken County having 24 open cases and also fourth with most incidents reported to the hotline.

Lisa Kejr, CEO of Lighthouse for Life, says the numbers might not necessarily be rising. Instead the number of reports are increasing.

“Awareness might be increasing,” said Kejr. “I think that this is a crime that is way bigger than any of us ever realized.”

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Per the state’s report, over 90% of South Carolina’s human trafficking victims are minors.

However, there’s just one shelter in the entire state that is authorized to host underage human trafficking victims.

That shelter is the Cumbee Center to Assist Abused Persons in Aiken.

Also working to find solutions is Lighthouse for Life. The group’s solution is to empower and educate to help eradicate human trafficking. The group is based out of Columbia, South Carolina in a building that used to be used for trafficking.

“One of the broken windows there was a glittering, high-heeled stiletto. We looked at that shoe, and we said, you know, what if this property is being used for sex trafficking, what if this is actually being a conduit to the views, that we’re trying to fight on a regular basis? What if we could take this very same space that’s in an ideal part of town where there’s a lot of brokenness and restore it, renovate it, make it into a place of hope and healing so that those same individuals could come back into this property and get the care that they need,” said Kejr.

They say human trafficking happens under our noses.

“It’s in all of our schools. It’s in probably all of our churches, the ones I’ve been to. It’s in our neighborhoods or communities. It was five doors down from me and I didn’t know what it was, in my school when I was a teacher. I didn’t know it. That’s not fair,” she said.

They prey on people’s vulnerabilities with a pitch to give them a better life.

“Why would somebody not pursue that? And that’s how our families are getting victimized,” said Kejr.

Once one is trafficked, it’s hard to get them out.

“When somebody does become victimized in life, if we would say there’s a lowball average of someone being violated over 1,800 times in one year,” said Kejr.

Lighthouse for Life wants those to know the facts, know the signs and be prepared to the fight to help eradicate this multi-billion dollar industry.

Some signs are a change in your child’s behavior, access to wealth they shouldn’t have and secret relationships.

Lighthouse for Life continues to be the place to go to turn the tables and give survivors hope.

“Their stories of brokenness blow your mind that one humanity can be that cruel, but also at the strength in these individuals, and then to get to watch them, get their life back and bring that hope back into their story,” said Kejr.

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