Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Survey finds laws needed in Tenn. to fight sex trafficking

WKRN NEWS
Posted: May 18, 2011 11:27 AM CDT


NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A study released by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation found that law enforcement officials want better state laws and training to find and stop human sex trafficking in Tennessee.

The agency on Wednesday released survey results from agencies across the state and found that 85% of Tennessee counties have investigated at least one human sex trafficking case over the last 24 months.

Seventy-two percent of counties reported at least one case of minor human sex trafficking

There were 16 entities that reported an excess of 50 cases and eight that reported over 100 cases of minor cases of human sex trafficking.

The majority of respondents, or 79%, say they are not adequately trained to handle human sex trafficking cases, according to the study.

Human sex trafficking is the slavery of women and children forced to perform various sex acts for money at a variety of locations across the state for the purpose of making money for their captors.

Tennessee has seen a number of high-profile sex trafficking cases, including a multi-state ring linked to Somali gangs.

The General Assembly last year directed TBI to analyze the problem and develop recommendations.

*The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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