SALISBURY, N.C. – North Carolina now ranks tenth in the nation for sex trafficking.
The number one city in the state is Fayetteville, which lies in the congressional district of Republican Representative Richard Hudson.
“This is a really complicated issue that takes an entire community to approach,” Hudson said Wednesday in Salisbury, where he was joined by fellow Republican Congressman Ted Budd, local police and nonprofit agencies for a discussion about sex trafficking.
“We are trying to raise awareness about this issue because a big part of it is raising awareness and getting the community to understand the issue," said Hudson.
Among those attending the roundtable discussion was Carla, who used only her first name in public for her own protection. She is the founder and president of Lily Pad Haven that helps provide shelter for victims of trafficking.
Carla said Charlotte’s extensive network of highways, the airport and the numerous big sporting events held here, make the area a target of opportunity for traffickers.
“It's happening in our own backyard, and there is no location that is immune from it. I think we have to keep that in mind and watch for those markers that are going to be identifiers for us that it is going on right here,” she said.
That could include watching for teens who are not dressed appropriately for the season, indicating they have been moved around a lot, or groups of teens or young men or women who appear to be under someone’s strict control.
“North Carolina is a growing, booming state, and unfortunately there is a dark underbelly we are addressing here,” said Representative Budd.