Human trafficking is a national problem. But, it also happens right here in northern Alabama.
"People wouldn't believe how serious this is in Huntsville. It's very serious." said Tennessee Valley Family Services Regional Director, Lynn Caffery.
According to the U.S. State Department, It's ten times more likely for Americans to be trafficked inside their own homeland compared to a foreigner. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has said human trafficking has drastically increased in the south. what does this mean for our area?
Caffery explained how we end up being the stopping point between areas like Nashville to Atlanta. We become a place where trafficking of sex, labor and domestic take place.
Organizations like Tennessee Valley Family Services along with their Human Trafficking Task Force, offer help to those teens who need it as well as background information about the ongoing crisis to the community.
According to Caffery they are the only program of its kind in the state of Alabama. They work specifically with homeless, runaways, at risk youth, and those that have been abused in human trafficking.
With the number of at risk teens risking the organization is now looking for ways to help them sustain and continue the services they offer. Since their opening, in 2012 they have been able to able to take 54 teens off the street.
In hopes of raising funds to expand their housing and keep their grants, they will be hosting a number of events. For more information on them as well as their fundraising events head to their website,
