67 www.CharlestonWomenPodcast.com | www.ReadCW.com | www.Instagram.com/CharlestonWomen In July 2024, a woman called into the Tri-County Human Trafficking Task Force (TCHTTF) after self-identifying as a victim. She lost her husband and struggled financially to pay off debt. After being evicted from multiple properties, a man offered help to take her in and she accepted the offer. “Soon after moving in, she was forced to commit sexual acts to maintain housing and have her basic needs met (food and clothing). The violence and aggression increased over a year, and he demanded that she have sexual acts with more men to maintain housing and food,” said Brooke Burris, founder and chair of the TriCounty Human Trafficking Task Force. The TCHTTF was developed in 2018 to help victims of labor and sex trafficking by establishing and coordinating a community of trauma-informed responders to end human trafficking. “The Task Force is not a service provider, but the Task Force members provide services including case management, housing, therapy, legal services, peer support, forensic interviews, health examinations, emergency shelter, etc.,” explained Burris. It’s through partnerships with various organizations that TCHTTF can help victims, such as the woman in the aforementioned story, to help people escape their traffickers. According to Burris, trafficking thrives in isolation. Tactics, including fear, false promises, force and violence also bolster a trafficker’s control over a victim. It’s important to note that trafficking includes Breaking Chains Tri-County Human Trafficking Task Force BY EMILY ETHERIDGE
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