It is estimated that more than 27 million people are enslaved worldwide, in over 165 countries, including the U.S. That is more than at any time in history. Many of these victims are women and children, and many of them are right here in our city, in our neighborhoods. Human sex trafficking is a multi-billion dollar business that preys on some of the most vulnerable in our society.
Two years ago Senator Bob Corker created a bold vision to end this horrible practice. The End Modern Slavery Initiative is designed to fight this problem by raising public awareness, galvanizing support in the business and faith communities and leveraging public, private and philanthropic resources to eradicate this plague around the world and right here in Tennessee.
This week, the END IT Movement will hold its annual “Shine a Light on Slavery” day. I am proud to stand with Senator Corker to fight to end this horror. Please join us. #enditmovement.
Gary D. Behler
Juvenile Court Clerk-Hamilton County
* * *
I want to say a personal “thank you” to Gary Behler, Hamilton County Juvenile Court Clerk, for taking the time to personally contact me regarding the statements he made. It takes a man of strength, morals and professionalism to respond to a county website email I sent that was derisive and arrogant. His action has earned my respect and admiration. He took the time out of his very busy day to contact, listen and educate me about “modern slavery”, a.k.a sex-trafficking in Hamilton County. I was astonished by the information he provided. He mentioned that at one time there were over 100 cases of sex trafficking in Hamilton County. Needless to say, it appears that it is, indeed, a larger problem than I would have ever imagined.
You are a model of what a leading official in Hamilton County and/or the city of Chattanooga should be. Thank you for educating me. It just goes to show that you’re never too old to learn something new.
Rusty Munger