SARASOTA COUNTY, Fla — According to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, in 2021, at least 2,214 instances of human trafficking involved a minor.
It's a story Holly Harris knows all too well—after being trafficked between 15 and 19.
"I ended up in Madison, Wisconsin, where I met my first trafficker," she said, "He definitely manipulated the script to make me think that I was in control even though now I can see that I was far from in control."
Harris now works with the Sarasota county-based anti-trafficking non-profit Selah Freedom to raise awareness.
Recently we've learned that the group is working to launch a new court program to help keep minors from being trafficked in the first place.
Selah Freedom's Clinical Director Samantha Kolb tells me it's called "O.P.T.I.O.N.S. Court," which stands for "Offering Potentially Trafficked Individuals Opportunities or Options Now."
Kolb says the goal is for court officials to identify kids facing certain charges or risk factors—like running away from home—that could put them at a higher risk of being trafficked in the future.
"The mission of the court is to prevent or end the cycle of running away, which leads to trauma and or human trafficking," she said.
Kolb said the court program launches in October and was modeled after a similar court program that used to exist in Hillsborough County.
According to an administrative order from the 13th Judicial Circuit Court chief judge in Hillsborough County, that specialized division was dissolved in June for the "efficient and effective usage of judicial resources."
However, when we asked for clarification, court officials wouldn't elaborate further on why that court program was closed.
But in the end, it's a program that both Harris and Kolb say they hope to see revived.
"We believe that they are effective and more successful than a traditional court, and so it would be our hope that they would continue to open up in all of the counties in Florida," said Kolb.
"I really hope that they're going to replace it with something better, and I hope that's their effort," said Harris.
If you or someone you know is being trafficked or is at risk of being trafficked, we also want you to know that there are resources out there.
You can call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1-888-373-7888
You can also reach Selah Freedom's hotline by calling 1-888-8-FREE-ME.
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