Human trafficking is soaring across Democrat-run North Carolina, with experts sounding the alarm over a dangerous rise in cases—especially involving children.
New data shows the state has become one of the country’s top hotspots for exploitation, with criminals using Charlotte’s highways and gang networks to move victims across the US.
According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, North Carolina ranked ninth nationwide in 2024, identifying 301 trafficking cases involving 580 victims. These included 145 cases of sex trafficking, 73 cases of labor trafficking, and 38 cases involving both. Many additional cases remain unclassified or unknown.
Hannah Arrowood, executive director of Present Age Ministries, works with the Charlotte Metro Human Trafficking Task Force to confront the surge. She describes the crisis as a “perfect storm” of factors:
