Charleston, Berkeley among counties with the most state-led human trafficking investigations in 2024
COLUMBIA, S.C. (WCBD) — Two Lowcountry counties had among the most reports of human trafficking investigated by state authorities last year, according to new data from the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office.
The South Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force released its annual report on Monday, detailing the number of cases reported statewide, where these crimes are most often reported, and steps the state is taking to combat human trafficking.
The number of sex and labor trafficking investigations opened by the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) dropped in 2024, according to the report.
In 2024, SLED investigated 285 tips involving 392 potential victims, of which about 80% were minors. In 2023, the agency opened 357 investigations with 498 potential victims.
Still, SLED reported a 58% increase in the number of adults victimized by human trafficking last year, and the number of minors victimized has not diminished.
Authorities investigated tips in 40 counties, with only six not reporting a case. Greenville County had the most investigations with 32, followed by Richland and Charleston with 31 each, Horry with 22, Lexington with 21, Berkeley with 18, and Spartanburg with 16.
“This is a scourge in our state,” Attorney General Alan Wilson said. “This isn’t a crime that happens in Hollywood movies or in third-world countries or only happens to certain demographics, it can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere.”
Data from the National Human Trafficking Hotline showed that 64 human trafficking incidents were reported to the hotline in 2024 with 111 potential victims. The crime was reported most in Greenville, Horry, Richland, Charleston, and Spartanburg counties.
“This isn’t where the most human trafficking is occurring,” Wilson explained. “This is just where the most reports of it are coming. There could be counties where there’s more human trafficking activity but because our prevention and/or awareness efforts haven’t seeped into that community, it’s not being seen, recognized, or reported appropriately.”
The majority of cases involved sex trafficking, according to the report, which most often occurred in hotel and motel settings. Instances of labor trafficking, in which vulnerable people are forced or coerced into working for little or no pay, were also reported. This occurred most often in retail and small business operations.
South Carolina lawmakers have worked to strengthen protections for victims of human trafficking, notably passing a law last spring that expands the definition to include certain sex crimes against minors such as exploitation and prostitution.
It also extended safe harbor protections to victims under 18 so that they cannot be prosecuted for prostitution or any other non-violent misdemeanor or class F felony while entangled in a human trafficking ring.
Additionally, the bill created a program within the attorney general’s office that would allow victims of domestic violence, trafficking, stalking, harassment, or sexual offenses to keep their addresses confidential.
It also established the offense of luring a child, which applies to adults who lure or entice someone under 16 years old — or attempt to — with the intent to harm them.
While advocates lauded the comprehensive legislation as an “important step forward in protecting the innocent,” Wilson said Monday that the state still lacks appropriate housing and resources for victims.
To address this, the General Assembly allocated $6.5 million in the 2025 fiscal year budget to develop and expand residential programming for minor victims of human trafficking.
The funds — expected to be dispersed through a grant program — will be used to create three programs for girls and a first-of-its-kind program for boys in South Carolina.
“The data tells us that traffickers are predominately targeting young people in South Carolina,” Kathryn Moorehead, Director of the Task Force, said in a statement. “Soon, we will begin the first phase of ensuring that children and youth who have been victimized get the care that they need.”
Though no specifics on the programs were provided, Wilson suggested that some of the funding could be used to open additional shelters for minor victims, of which there is currently only one in the state.
“Oftentimes, a minor victim of human trafficking is being victimized by someone within the family, and returning them to the very place that they were victimized is not a good idea,” Wilson said.
The report also highlighted data from South Carolina’s court system. In 2024, 20 new trafficking charges were opened involving 16 defendants. Half of those charges were associated with the trafficking of minors, while half were for trafficking adults.
There are currently 37 defendants with charges pending for sex and labor trafficking in the state court system, according to the report.
You can report an incident of human trafficking or find resources by calling the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888 or by texting 233733 (BeFree). The hotline is confidential and open 24/7.
