Asheville and Appalachia: A Hotspot for Child Trafficking
Asheville and the greater Appalachian region have emerged as significant centers for child trafficking, ranking among the top ten states in the nation for these heinous crimes. This area’s combination of economic despair, pervasive drug addiction, and a lack of resources creates a perfect storm for traffickers, who exploit vulnerable individuals—especially children—at alarming rates.
The Facts:
Top Ten Status: North Carolina consistently ranks in the top ten states for human trafficking incidents, with increasing reports highlighting the severity of the issue.
Local Investigations: Recent police operations in Asheville have exposed trafficking rings, including connections to local law enforcement, raising serious concerns about complicity and systemic failure.
Vulnerable Populations: Many victims are children, often exploited by family members in desperate situations, particularly those struggling with substance abuse.
The Methods:
Tunnels and Concealment: Traffickers use hidden networks and tunnels to transport victims, taking advantage of the Appalachian terrain to avoid detection. This geographic isolation makes it difficult for law enforcement to track movements.
Coercion and Intimidation: Victims are silenced through fear and manipulation, with many suffering in silence due to previous victimization and a lack of trust in authorities.
Conclusion: The reality of child trafficking in Asheville and Appalachia is both alarming and urgent. Awareness and intervention are essential in combating this growing crisis, demanding immediate attention from the community and law enforcement alike.
For further details, refer to these sources:
https://carolinapublicpress.org/24998/insidious-and-elusive-human-trafficking-in-wnc/
Insular Population that doesn’t particularly trust authority and while not exactly the insular hates outsiders esc groups and Religious Cults that often get depicted in fiction. Some parts of the Appalachians aren’t exactly friendly to outsiders/non-residents either.
Terrain is extremely rough. Civilian Infrastructure is outdated to put it mildly. As some areas found out when Roads, Dams, and Bridges etc. Washed out or failed one after another.
Area has with few exceptions been consistently poor for decades. I mean it wasn’t swimming in money in its heyday either. But I digress. Comparatively sparsely populated in comparison to the lowlands and Eastern Coast.
Area is marked with Abandoned Mines and Industry that were never properly closed off when the companies pulled out. More remote Populations in the Appalachians are also comparatively more superstitious. And tend towards minding their own Business. Which can play into being able to manipulate them into silence or ignoring strange activity at say supposedly abandoned Mines that would otherwise warrant a call to the local Police/Sheriff in other areas.
There’s also been reported sightings of all sorts of various creatures. Which lends the area some of its reputation. The superstitious and….prickly, private and heavily armed nature of some of the residents. Has also done a bit to deter attempts at development and revitalization of the area. As has the dated infrastructure.
All in all. It’s an area that fits the bill for various illicit activities. I’d imagine look beneath surface and you’d find a bunch of private off the books Corporate and Government Facilities engaged in the sorts of activities that would see people doing life in prison at minimum. Not to mention god knows how many Drug labs and Marijuna grows.
Along with undoubtedly the fucked up crap the Religious Cults that undoubtedly exist in the area both Christian and Otherwise in the Hills and Valleys have undoubtedly gotten up to. Even if people don’t officially acknowledge their existence.
That’s not even considering the idea of there being other creatures and creepy crawlies up there that are all natural. And haven’t been Frankensteined into existence.