KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WVLT) – An alarming epidemic plagues East Tennessee, but few fully understand the gravity or magnitude of the situation.
In the simplest of terms, children, some as young as three years old, have been sold for sex by their own parents and family members.
Adults, many with children of their own, have also fallen victim to human trafficking.
Experts identify the most vulnerable human trafficking victims as children in foster care or group homes, children or adults with a history of physical or sexual abuse, runaways, people with special needs, and anyone with a weakness or vulnerability that can be exposed or exploited.
“Traffickers promise a high-paying job, a loving relationship, or new and exciting opportunities and then use physical and psychological violence to control them,” said the National Human Trafficking Hotline.
As one of the region’s darkest secrets bubbles just below the surface, the Community Coalition Against Human Trafficking answers with a swift and focused attack.
The coalition, which serves all areas of upper East Tennessee, offers a variety of services to help communities identify and respond to human trafficking.
One program pairs mentors like Tamara Klauer with survivors like a woman identified only as ‘M.’ Both started as partners in survival but quickly grew as friends.
When WVLT News Anchor Amanda Hara first met Tamara, she was sifting through old memories, packing up little treasures from the past, and preparing to sell her West Knoxville home and move to Chicago.
As Tamara waited for crews to arrive and begin the moving process, M was already moving Tamara’s heart with a letter of gratitude.
“Dear Tamara, You’re going to make me cry that you’re moving away. My life is better for knowing you and counting you a dear friend,” Tamara read. “It seems like I’ve known you a long time, which is a good thing since the longest I’ve known anyone is four years, the anniversary of our rescue.”
M escaped a lifetime of trafficking, sold by her own family for sex. She found refuge in Knoxville, in the coalition, and in Tamara……more here