HERNANDO, Miss — The organization Mississippians Against Human Trafficking came to Desoto County for the first time to raise awareness about how prevalent the problem is there.
The DeSoto County District Attorney’s Office said they have the highest number of human trafficking arrests in the state. In the last year, the county's sheriff’s department said they have come in contact with about 54 trafficking victims.
They said the focus needs to be on helping victims rather than just making arrests.
DeSoto County District Attorney Robert Morris said they have to change the stigma around prostitution and break from old ways of thinking.
“(The misconception is that) the pimp is just as guilty as the prostitute, and in a lot of cases, we had to change our hearts and minds to realize that there were some people who were put into this at a young age that didn’t have a choice,” he said,
The D.A.’s office partnered with Mississippians Against Human Trafficking to hold a two-day event Monday and Tuesday in Hernando to educate the public.
“I know that for myself, I’ve heard of places that have been raided around North Mississippi,” said Hernando resident Debbie Galeano. “A lot of places where people have been picked up or people have been saved.”
Agent Brett Grossman with the DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department’s Special Investigations Division said it starts with how they prepare.
“Whenever we do have an operation where we are looking into these things, we do typically have medical staff there which is provided by the advocacy centers,” he said. “We can immediately get them out there, and they can be treated for whatever needs they have.”
The event featured demonstrations from many of those resource groups. They included Mississippi’s Center for Violence Prevention, the Office Against Interpersonal Violence and the Oxford Treatment Center.
District Attorney Morris hopes that by highlighting these resources, they can help get the public to take action as well.
“We had to change our outlook on things, and in doing so, have to change the community’s view of this sex trade,” he said.
The DeSoto County Sheriff’s Department said it will be opening up a digital forensics lab and an Internet Crimes Against Children center in the next two weeks. They said the long-term goal is to create a dedicated human trafficking division.
